Dance Like No One's Watching
by MissCloud
Summary: Its two weeks away until the final of the American tournament. Along their way, they meet an ordinary blader girl. But is there more to her than meets the eye? KaiOC COMPLETE!
1. Excitement and Ignorance

**AOD83: This is my first Beyblade fanfic. :) I hope you like this! It took me a while to plan it all out, so please review:D All reviews will be appreciated, and I'd like to hear your suggestions! KAI! Disclaimer please. :)**

**Kai: AngelOfDarkness83 does not own Beyblade or any of it's characters, thank god, but she does own this plot, her own characters, and her bit-beasts. :)**

**AOD83: Also, when a character is thinking, you will see only one speech mark between the words, like this: '...'**

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**Dance like no one's watching**

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**Chapter 1- Excitement and Ignorance**

The door swung open, slamming off the wall in the process. A 14-year old boy stood in the doorway. He had messy blue hair, and wore a small cap. He had a loose, red jacket on over his yellow shirt, and blue shorts which reached his kneecaps.

"Oh boy, oh boy! Here I come bed!" He cried, wasting no time, diving onto the soft, double bed. He rubbed his face into the sheets and cuddled the pillow, totally messing up the once-tidy bed. As usual, he was over-excited.

"Any room for me, Tyson?" Cried a high voice. A young, blonde kid was running towards the bed. He had freckles on each side of his face, and wore orange over-alls. His clothes made him look at least 2 years younger than he was. He had short, green sleeves over his arms, and a cute, charming look to his face.

He jumped onto the double bed, trying to land on Tyson's back. He landed upright on top of Tyson, and he was certain he heard a few bones crack.

"Argh! Max, get off! A quiet cry could be heard from underneath Max. Max giggled, then rolled over onto the other pillow. Tyson sat up, his face was bright red, and he was out of breath.

"Phew...damn Max, you have put on weight! Lay off the sugar!" Tyson cried in a whimpering voice. The two young friends stared at each other with cross expressions on their faces. Tyson couldn't help it- he burst into laughter, as did Max. The two of them rolled around on the bed, almost crying with laughter.

"AHEM!" A loud cough made the two bladers stop laughing, and they looked up. Stood at the end of the bed, was a tall, 15-year old guy. The front of his hair was a deep, sky blue, and at the back it turned dark blue. His dark red eyes glared at Max and Tyson. His arms were crossed over his chest. He wore a black, sleeveless top, and baggy blue trousers. The white scarf around his neck dangled almost to his feet. The flash gloves he wore made him look cool.

For a few seconds, they just all stared at each other. Kai looked angry. "Act your age. Are you 14 years, or 14 months?"

Tyson couldn't help but smirk at this. "Ah- you'll never change, will you?" Tyson watched Kai's cold expression turn into confusion.

"Aha. And I don't suppose you'll ever change either, huh?" Kai replied, smiling at his own words.

"Hey, guys, this place is so luxury!" A voice said excitedly. Everyone looked around, to see their friend, Ray glancing around the room. He had long, spiky black hair, which was tied into a long white sheet, so naturally, his hair looked alot shorter than it was. Over his head he wore a red band, with the black and white peace sign on it. He had dark blue, baggy trousers on and a white, loose top which was fastened together. As he smiled, his two, small fangs peeped over his lips. He was amazed by the luxury of the hotel. The room was filled with bright colors! The walls were painted two different shades of yellow. The top half was pale yellow, while the bottom half was a little brighter. There was a large TV screen right at the bottom of the double bed, where there was a little seating area. The floor was covered in red, fluffy carpet. There was a separate area where the floor suddenly changed to tiles. The dining area. A wooden dinner table stood to the right hand side of the room, surrounded by expensive kitchen furniture, such as a fridge, oven, and dishwasher! There was a separate room near the double bed, which had curtains there instead of a door. Inside there, was two other double beds, and another room leading to the bathroom.

"Yeah, it's gorgeous!" Tyson agreed. "I can't wait until I sleep in this bed tonight! I feel like a queen!"

Max and Ray looked at each other, and raised their eyebrows. "Don't you mean, a "king" Tyson?" Smiled Max.

Tyson looked at Max with a lifeless expression. Thinking hard, he finally caught on!

"Oh..yeah of course! I mean king..." Tyson blushed slightly.

A loud, typing noise disturbed the two second silence. Sat in the seating area, was a very petite boy. He had mousey-brown hair, which covered his eyes completely. His large glasses were on top of his head. He wore a white shirt, and a green tie. His grey shorts showed off his small legs. He looked like a mini nerd, but he was so cute! He was typing away on Dizzi, his laptop, minding his own business.

"Awwww, come on Kenny! Give Dizzi a rest! Let's relax!" Tyson said in a high, hyperactive voice.

Kai shook his head. "It's two weeks away from the final of the American Tournament. I'm surprised this team even made it this far with your lazy ass in it, Tyson! There will be no relaxing- we're going to train. Starting from tomorrow! So enjoy your relaxation while you still can. I won't let those Blade Warriors beat us in this final, after all this."

Tyson sighed. "Geez Kai, get a grip. I think we deserve a little rest after all our training so far. Besides, those Blade Warriors don't look so tough. They will be a piece of cake!" Tyson replied. Kai knew they wouldn't win with Tyson's over-confident attitude. He was too cocky. And big-headed. He needed to be told straight.

"Listen to me!" Kai said in an irritated, and angry voice. "I'm not gonna loose this tournament just because you can't be bothered to train. Either you get your act together, or I'm out. I'm sick and tired of having to stand up for you, baby-sit and take care of you. NO MORE."

Ray, Max and Kenny stared in disbelief at Kai. Kenny knew one day Kai would finally loose it. Well, this was it.

Tyson was red in the face. He couldn't believe what Kai was saying! His anger rushed straight out of his mouth. He jumped off the bed and stood face to face with Kai.

"NO! You listen to me! I'm tired of your boring, life-less attitude towards things! YOU are the one who needs a reality check, Kai! You need to relax more, and stop being so ignorant, bud!" Tyson shouted in a sarcastic tone. He was getting closer to Kai, his teeth snapped together, and he started breathing heavily, so annoyed by Kai. He held up his hand and pointed his finger in Kai's face, making Kai even more annoyed.

"I'm not your bud!" Snarled Kai, using his hand to knock away Tyson's pointing finger."You're my annoying, stupid, cocky team mate! GROW UP! You don't deserve any of this! Just walk away and leave now before you end up embarrassing yourself at the final!"

"Hey! That's enough!" Ray cried. He ran in between Kai and Tyson, trying to stop them from arguing. Tyson stared at Kai in the eyes. 'Argh! I'll show you!' Tyson thought to himself. Without thinking, he walked straight past Ray and Kai, and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut after him.

Ray stared at Kai. He shook his head at Kai in total disgrace. Max's jaw was dropped. He was sat upright on the bed, shocked. Kenny had stopped typing on Dizzi. He was truly astonished...

Ray walked away from Kai and opened the door which led into the hotel corridor. Tyson was gone.

"Just great...look what you've done, Kai! I knew this would happen eventually!" Cried Kenny. He was so mad at Kai. He felt he had to stick up for his friend, Tyson.

Kai turned around and faced Kenny. "Hn...he had it coming. His attitude was bad. Besides, I never meant for him to walk out."

"Well you certainly did a good job at that!" Snapped Ray.

Max was still staring hard at Kai, still shaken a little. He could hardly speak. 'Is this the end of the Bladebreakers...?'

"Don't go and think this was ALL my fault- you know fine well he had it coming, Ray." Kai turned around and snapped back at Ray.

Finally, Max spoke up. "Listen guys, we can't fallout now. I'm sure your just nervous about the final, Kai. I think we all are!" Max pulled Kai a sweet smile, a convincing smile. It didn't work. Kai just ignored Max.

Into the dark streets of New York, Tyson was storming down the street, hands in pockets, thinking about what had just happened.

'Kai is such an...idiot...He just doesn't understand. He's the one with the problem, not me. I can't believe he can be so cruel...maybe he's just scared...nervous...about the final in two weeks. Urgh...I'll never understand him. He's an odd ball. Mmmm...meat balls...I'm hungry...I'll turn back..'

Tyson turned around and glanced over at the hotel. He shook his head. 'No...I can't go back yet..I need to cool off...if I go back now, I'll end up strangling Kai. I'll wait.'

He carried on walking down the street. New York looked different at night- The blue day-time sky turned a deep black. The only light was the twinkling stars up above, the deep moonlight shining down onto Tyson, and the street lights. There was hardly any light coming from the rest of the hotels. The buildings were life-less, motion-less- there was hardly any movement. The odd one or two people walked down the street now and again, but that's it. He turned off into another street, and kept walking around and around into the dark city. He stopped and stared when he walked passed an alley-way. It was dark, and it looked very sinister...he could just make out a couple of bins down there, and garbage spread across the floor. He didn't know why, but he felt he should walk down there- even though it wasn't safe. Alley-ways were the last place people should be at night. Especially girls.

A quiet, rattling sound startled Tyson- he recognized the sound- beyblades! Slowly taking one step at a time, he glanced further into the alley. The noise was getting louder. Looking back around into the street, it was pretty light, compared to this alley. It was like the noise of the Beyblades in the dish was a powerful magnet, dragging him towards them- he just couldn't help himself. He didn't want to go down, but something was telling him he should. He dragged his feet further in. He kept glancing behind him, to make sure no-one was watching.

The moon had cut off any light down there- expect for one small light. He could see a tiny yellow shine coming from around the alley corner. Tyson quickly glanced around the corner. He spotted at least five figures. The yellow light was a small lamp attached to the wall. There was a dish in the middle of the alley. Tyson quickly returned his head around the corner. He wasn't sure whether to go and check it out. They were bladers. 'They were familiar...'

Tyson could hear them talking now- there was a girl's voice. This time, he stepped fully around the corner. He could see clearly now. Four guys, and a girl. Tyson began to walk towards them. A little nervous, he tried to figure out what they were doing.

'A dish...Beyblades spinning...but wait- they're not battling. I think...they..are taunting her...hm...those guys...They are staring at me...wait..I know them! It's the Blade Warriors! What are they doing?'

Tyson stopped walking until he felt he was close enough. The five kids stared at him.

Meanwhile, Ray and Max were worried- it had been half an hour, and Tyson wasn't back yet. Ray glanced out of the window- it was dark. 'He shouldn't be wandering the streets at this time of night..'

Kenny had put Dizzi to one side, and he joined Ray and Max, worrying. Kai was sat in the seating area. He felt a little uneasy himself. Tyson was annoying, but he did feel a little responsible for him. If anything happened to him, he would only blame himself. 'Hn...Tyson better come back soon!'

There was an awkward silence in the room, until finally Max spoke up. "Guys, I'm worried. Tyson knew we would be eating around now, and he isn't back. He never misses meals."

Ray agreed. "Yes, but also he was upset. It's dangerous wandering the streets at night on his own. We should go out and look for him. I'm worried."

Kenny nodded. "Yeah, we should. We can't just leave him. He could be in trouble." Kenny looked over at Kai, who was sat down, with his arms folded. Kai realized Kenny was staring at him. He looked up. He slowly nodded too.

"Alright guys- let's go find Tyson!" Agreed Max, jumping off the double bed, and pulling everyone a convincing smile.


	2. You Failed Me

**AOD83:) Thanks for reviewing, BeckyKai4Eva, SpiritualEnergy(hehe I like the name Angel-Chan) and Spirit Of Innocence :D hugs Come on Kai, don't be shy, join in! **

**Kai: Hn...No.**

**AOD83: Pfff...fine! Anyway, chapter 2 is up now, please review! I know chapter 1 was a little slow and boring, but you might enjoy this on more:)**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 2- You failed me**

Ray, Kai, Max and Kenny stepped out into the cold, gloomy street. Max glanced around. He felt a little nervous. It was dark, quiet...and there was no sign of Tyson. He just hoped that Tyson was alright. Sure, he could be a pain in the ass sometimes, but he was his friend. They had to look at for each other. Ray felt a little responsible for Tyson, because he was a year older than him. He knew Tyson was childish and foolish, and he might do something stupid. That's what Ray feared. Kenny was Tyson's best friend, so he cared for him deeply. If anything had happened to Tyson, Kenny would be lost without him. Kai, didn't feel so guilty. He knew he was partly to blame, and he felt bad about it. But he had to say something to Tyson. Kai felt Tyson was getting too over-confident for the final. If he did, then he would end up loosing. Kai didn't want to risk loosing.

"Well? Where do we start?" Asked Kenny. The four of them stood in a line, staring around. They didn't have a clue where to start. It was different in the dark. They could become lost. Ray watched the light on the road slowly disappear. He looked up, to see the moon hiding behind the clouds. 'Great. that's all we need...'

The sky looked nice, though. There was billions of tiny twinkling dots in the sky, despite the odd one or two clouds.

"We start...by calling his name," Max replied, staring at his worried team mates. "TYSONNNNNN!" Max called out Tyson's name. His voice echoed slightly.

"TYSON!" Ray joined in with Max.

"HEY! TYSON! SUPPERS READY!" Max called out loud.

Ray and Kenny looked at Max and raised their eyebrow. They pulled him a serious look.

"Heh. What? It could of worked," Max smiled.

"C'mon, this is serious. Let's just...go and look...if you were Tyson, where would you go?" Asked Ray, rubbing his chin with the back of his hand

"Hmm...a restaurant?" Max suggested. Kai suddenly turned away from his team mates, and began to walk up the street while they rambled on about where Tyson could be. Ray spotted Kai walking off, with his arms folded. 'Who does he think he is?'

"Kai! Wait up!" Ray called, running towards Kai. He looked around at Max and Kenny as he ran towards Kai. He pointed at Kai. "Come on you two!"

Ray's shadow followed behind him, as the moon appeared again from behind the clouds. It shone down, brightening up the street again. Max and Kenny looked at each other, then ran after Ray and Kai.

Tyson felt a thrush of nerves dancing around in his stomach. Five pairs of eyes were stuck on him- he felt uneasy. He knew this was a bad idea. His fingers tingled, and his legs felt like jelly. He quickly glanced behind him, to see complete darkness. He moved one step closer, so he could stand in the only light down the alley. There was a small yellow lamp on the wall, which was shining dimly over a beyblade dish.

The four guys kept straight faces. Two of them were stood against the wall, with their arms folded. The tallest one, had dark blue hair, which pointed out sideways. He had a baby blue band around his forehead, and wore a white T-shirt. Over that, he had on a long, light brown jacket which reached his knees. His eyes were a dark crystal blue. They were stuck on Tyson. The other guy, was a little shorter. He has short, brown hair. He had very eery eyes. They were light brown, with a tint of gold in the middle. He wore a small, navy jacket, fastened up, and wore matching trousers to go with it. Tyson stared at them for a second, then examined the other two guys.

One of them was standing right next to the dish. He had scruffy, dark brown hair, and had a distinctive scar across his left cheek. He wore black gloves, which reached the edge of his elbow. He wore a sleeveless thick, sweater, and light brown combat trousers. His eyes made Tyson nervous- they were a chocolate brown color- But they looked fearless. They stared at Tyson, without blinking. Just next to him, was another guy- he looked alot friendly, but he still had the hint of hate in his eyes. They were a very pale orange, which matched his pale hair color. The front of his hair was orange, while the back of it was a deep brown. He wore a baggy outfit, it almost looked like a karate suit. It was a dark orange, and he wore an orange belt around his stomach, which held together his top.

Finally, Tyson looked over at the girl- she was standing on the opposite end of the dish, on the opposite side to the boys...

'She looks...nervous...'

Tyson stared at her. She was staring at the floor, with her back against the wall. Her hands were behind her back. There was something about her...which made Tyson amazed. She seemed calm, but he could see she was nervous about something. She wore baggy, black trousers, with a thin black belt holding them up. She wore dark ruby, flat boots. Her top was black- although the edge of the collar was a ruby red. She had two brown straps crossing over the top of her body, to form at "X" shape. The straps started at both shoulders, and led down to opposite ends of her thighs. They were attached to her belt. The front of her hair was a deep, rich red color. She had two short pieces of hair dangling over her face, then the rest of it continued down and flicked inwards towards her body. The top half of her hair was red, and short, but underneath it was a deep brown, and followed down to her chest. She had very attractive, emerald eyes, with a slight hint of red around the middle of her pupils.

A quiet, rattling in the dish was heard throughout Tyson's thoughts. One blade was spinning around the dish, alone. It suddenly hit off the edge off the dish, Tyson thought it was going to fall out. The guy with the scar caught the blade as it flew out of the dish, still with his eyes fixed on Tyson. His straight face suddenly turned into a grin.

"Tyson Granger, isn't it?" His voice cut off towards the end. It was low, but deep. Tyson folded his arms, to make himself look less nervous than he was.

"That's right. And you're Flint, right? The leader of the Blade Warriors," Tyson replied back, in a confident tone.

"Right. And I thought I was going to have a challenge for the final," Smiled Flint, sarcastically.

'What does he mean...'

Tyson watched him for a few seconds, then finally realized what he meant. "Oh, you'll have a challenge, alright! Don't underestimate me!"

"I don't think I'll get much pleasure in battling a little kid!" Flint snapped. His smile faded. Tyson watched him squeeze his fists, then place them onto his hips. For a second, Tyson thought he was going to get a beating!

"URGH! I'm not a kid! I'll show you! You won't know what hit you," Tyson shouted, moving closer towards them.

"Haha...I like this kid. How old are you?" Asked the blue-haired guy.

Tyson turned to him. "It's not of you're business, Alex!" Tyson was already in a bad mood, he didn't want these guys to put him into an even worse one.

"Wow...I'm surprised you even know my name. You must watch your opponents close, I imagine?" Alex said, sarcastically.

Tyson ignored him, and glanced over at the girl again. This time, she was looking up, at Tyson. She was very pretty. She had a pale face, but pink cheeks.

"So...who are you?" Tyson asked the girl.

The short haired guy smiled at this. "Ah- she was about the battle us. Little feisty thing she is"

Tyson watched the girl smile at his comment.

"You're Rio, right?" Tyson asked, turning back to the short haired guy.

The short haired guy nodded slightly. Tyson turned to the orange haired guy. "And you're...Sam, I think?"

"Yeah...and you're a pain in the ass. Go away," Sam snapped. Tyson thought he looked friendly, but it's a whole different story when he's speaking. He was just as bad as the rest.

Flint held out his arm next to Tyson. "No. Stay there, Tyson."

Tyson felt his heart almost thumping out of his body. He once again quickly glanced behind him. He wanted to turn back.

Flint stared at Tyson is surprise, after a quiet rumbling noise destroyed the silence. "What was that?"

Tyson blushed and held his stomach. "Heh. My stomach. I'm hungry. I guess I'll be getting back, now." Tyson stuttered slightly, and turned around to walk off.

He felt something touch his shoulder. "Not so fast, there."

Tyson slowly turned his head around. Flint was stood behind him, with his hand on Tyson's shoulder. He let go, and stepped back again.

"What?" Tyson asked.

"How about a battle?" Flint smirked at Tyson. Tyson wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't believe his opponent wanted a battle. He didn't want to look like a chicken...but he wasn't sure whether he should.

'Oh, what have I gotten myself into...If only Kai was here...'

Tyson remembered what he had said to Kai earlier.

_Flashback_

_"Geez Kai, get a grip. I think we deserve a little rest after all our training so far. Besides, those Blade Warriors don't look so tough. They will be a piece of cake!"_

_End Flashback._

Now Tyson was face-to-face with them, it was a totally different story. They looked tough. They looked strong. They looked like good bladers.

Ray, Max and Kenny caught up with Kai down the street.

"Do you know where you're going, Kai?" Asked Ray, concerned.

"Do you? I don't think any of us do," Kai said quietly.

Suddenly Kai stopped walking. He held out his hand to stop Ray from walking ahead. Max and Kenny stopped behind him.

"What are you-" Ray began, until he was interrupted by a loud "SHHHHHHH" from Kai.

'What is he doing...'Ray wondered. 'Oh..wait...'

A quiet mumbling sound hit Ray's ears. 'Ah..I can hear it now..'

Kai put his arm down beside his body, and glanced around, to see if he could follow where the talking was coming from. Kai noticed an alley across the road from where they were standing. Ray followed Kai's eye contact, to see where he was staring. 'An...alley-way?'

Kai had a feeling...it was coming from there. He walked closer to it, and the talking got louder. 'Hn...might not be Tyson, but we could look..'

Ray, Max and Kenny followed Kai, who was stood in the middle of the road, staring at this dark alley.

"Don't tell me we're going in there?" Cried Max, his eyes widening.

Kai ignored Max, and began to walk towards the alley. Ray could see Max was unsure. So was he. But soon he realized, the talking was indeed coming from the alley.

Ray sent Max a soft smile. "We'll go in together..."

Kai waited at the entrance until the rest of the team caught up.

Max and Kenny glanced down it, and gulped hard. Well, they exaggerated it a little. But they were still nervous.

"I get the feeling he's down there. And he's not alone..." Kai said, glancing down the gloomy alley-way. He turned around to face the rest of his team. He gave them a quick encouraging nod, then began to walk into the alley...

Meanwhile, Tyson was still unsure whether to accept this beybattle. He looked around, noticing that he was finally getting used to the dark. He could make out more garbage bins, and even the Blade Warriors looked less sinister.

"Why don't we keep this battle until the final?" Tyson suggested. "There's no point doing this now- we'll be doing it in two weeks time anyway."

Flint smirked, and shook his head. "Awwww...Tyson, Tyson, Tyson. Are you afraid?" He said, as if Tyson was a young child. Flint could see Tyson was a little afraid. he was beginning to stutter when he spoke.

Out of no-where, a loud scraping sound filled the air. Keeping his back pressed against the wall, Alex glanced around. 'Footsteps...'

Rio and Sam squinted their eyes, staring down the alley. Flint saw them staring, and looked around to see what was so fascinating. In the distance, four black figures were moving closer...they looked like the shape of humans, but all different sizes. Tyson and the girl looked around, and stared in shock as the four dark figures moved closer, followed by loud footsteps, and for some reason, followed by a scraping sound. Tyson walked back slowly, and backed into the dish, knocking it over and finishing off with a loud rattle as the dish toppled over. The girl covered her ears as they dish made an annoying screeching sound.

'And I thought this couldn't get any worse...' Tyson thought. 'Hey..wait...do I know them...' Tyson stared hard at the moving figures..he was sure he caught a glimpse of blonde hair...

The figures were so close now, but no completely visible...they began to step into the yellow light off the lamp...

"GUYS!" Tyson beamed for joy- A blonde, blue, black and brunette...

"Tyson?" Asked Ray, shocked to see him with other people. Kenny had hold of Max. Max was holding onto his shoulders, and his body was slumped. His shoes were trailing along the floor, making a scraping sound. Kenny had been dragging Max down the alley..the only way they could get him down..

'So that explains the scraping noise...' Alex thought.

Everyone stopped and stared at each other. Max stood up, and joined Ray, Kenny and Kai, watching the Blade Warriors.

There was a quick silence.

"TYSON! Are you okay?" Max ran up to Tyson and flung his arms around him, like he hadn't seen him for years. He clutched onto Tyson's neck. Tyson just hugged him back, but he was being strangled in the process.

"Ergh...yeah..but..get..off...I can't breathe!" Tyson cried, puffing for air. Max let go of Tyson when he realized he was hugging him a little TOO tightly..

"Heh..sorry..." Max blushed.

"Blade Warriors? What are you doing here?" Ray asked.

"Is that any of your business, Ray?" Snapped Rio.

Ray looked over at the girl. She was staring at him and the rest of the team.

"Who are you?" Asked Ray, softly.

"We were about to battle," Explained Flint, in an unwelcome tone. He picked up the toppled dish and placed it in between himself and the girl.

"Battle?" Ray questioned, looking at the girl.

Kai looked over at the girl, to find she was staring back.

'Hn...who's she? Never seen her before...wait..why do I care? She has interesting...hair...I know something isn't right here...is she being forced into a battle here?'

"Watch, if you want. I'm sure you'll learn ALOT from it.." Flint said, immediately holding up his launcher, which a dark blue blade attached to it. "You ready?"

The girl's expression was glum..until when she glanced down at his launcher, she pulled her face into an encouraging grin. She moved away from the wall, and pulled out a black and ruby blade attached to her launcher. She pointed it towards the dish.

"Bring it on."

Her voice was full of confidence all of a sudden, to Tyson's surprise. Before, she looked quite nervous, now she was willing to battle! Kai stood back against the wall, while Tyson, Ray and Max stepped back a little. Kenny hung on to Max.

"3...2...1" Sam began, and ended with a cheerful, loud "Let it rippppppppppppp!"

And with that, the blades ripped into the dish furiously. The two blades circled the dish, with the dark blue blade in lead, catching up to the girl's blade. It collided into her's, with a loud bang to go with it.

"LEVHELL!" Flint cried, and immediately a blue light had risen out of the blade. The light was stretching all through out the once-quiet alley, as it created a strong wind, making everyone's hair blow in front of their faces. Max and Kenny covered their eyes because of the strong beam of light. The light slowly faded, to reveal a giant snake-like creature. It had a vicious face, it roared to reveal a nice set of sharp teeth, and a slimy, purple tongue. It's eyes were a deep, green. It's body was sea-blue, and had pointy fins coming out from each side of it's chest. It had no legs, but had the body of a snake.

"ICE TSUNAMI!" Flint ordered his bit-beast. Everyone stared at the beast- it's cheeks were growing...

Levhell began to take deep breathes, as though it was breathing in air. It's cheeks were growing..bigger and bigger...

Tyson and his crew stood in amazement. They looked around at each other, wondering what was happening. The beast finally opened it's mouth wide, and blew out a great, icy storm. Snow, sharp ice particles and a cold wind rushed out of the mouth of the beast.

Max threw his arms around himself, trying to keep himself warm.

"Argh! It's freezing!" Cried Max. No one could hear him, the noise of the ice splattering out of the bit-beast's mouth made an awful tingling noise.

"WEREX!" The girl shouted at the top of her voice, almost screaming. Flint hadn't gave her the chance to call for her bit-beast, straight away he made a full-on attack on her.

She stared at her blade. Nothing emerged from it.

"WEREX! FIGHT IT!" She cried, getting teary eyed. 'Damn it..why isn't Werex coming out?'

Her blade was being dragged out of the dish slowly by the powerful snow and ice. "WEREX! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? COME OUT!"

Her blade had risen up into the cold air, and blew around and around, like it was in a tornado. It was almost off the edge...

"NO!" She cried in fear, as her blade slammed onto the ground.

She stared in fear. She couldn't believe what had just happened. 'What had just happened?'

Levhell's mouth began to close, and with that, he turned into a blast of light once more, and returned into the dark blue blade.

It was clear. Her blade was lying on the floor. Out-side the dish.

Kai was shocked too. 'What the...something's not right..why didn't her bit-beast come out?'

Tyson's jaw was dropped open. 'Woa...we're up against him!'

Max, Kenny and Ray just felt pity for the girl. They felt sorry for her...but they couldn't understand what had happened.

"Ha...hahaha..." A silent chuckle could be heard. She looked up, teary-eyed. She scowled at him. Her teeth were literally scraping together with anger.

"What did you do? This is your doing!" She cried.

Flint shook his head. "No dear, I am not responsible for you bit-beast's actions."

"Hmmm," The rest of the Blade Warriors just looked at each other, in disappointment.

'Huh...' Tyson looked at Rio, Sam and Alex. 'They seem...disappointed. I wonder why...'

Alex and Rio unfolded their arms, and pulled the Bladebreakers one last glare. They got up off against the wall, and turned their backs on everyone. They began to slowly walk down the alley. Sam stared at the girl's blade in disbelief. 'We were so close...but we'll get it...' Sam began to follow Rio and Alex down the alley. Flint's smile of victory faded.

"Well then...I'll see you four in two weeks time...good luck...you'll need it.." Flint said, finishing off their small talk. He turned his back and followed his team mates.

Soon, they weren't visible anymore. It was like the darkness had swallowed them. As soon as the noise of their footsteps had disappeared, the five Bladebreakers turned their attention on the girl. She was still stood staring at her blade, in disbelief.

'You failed me, Werex...'


	3. Mystery Girl

**AOD83: Thanks so much for reviewing everyone :) I really appreciate it. SpiritualEnergy, I had a look on your forums the other day, and I was going to post, but I'm a bit stupid and I didn't know how... :S Hehe if you could help me out here I'll appreciate it :) oh and PLEASEEEEE REVIEWWWWW!**

**Kai: Do you ever shut up?**

**AOD83: ¬¬' Do you ever lighten up?**

**Kai: I asked you first.**

**AOD83: Aw just...shut up..! I recently planned out some cool scenes between Kai and this girl(I won't tell you the name of her yet because you'll find out soon!) So please keep reading on everyone, I promise you this story will get better!**

**Kai: See what I mean about you never shutting up?**

**AOD83: Oh..one more thing...Read chapter 3! And review it:P**

**Kai: That's two things...**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 3- Mystery Girl**

A slow gush of wind blew into their faces, as they all stared across at the distraught girl. Her red hair creeped slowly over her face, due to the wind. She shook her head in annoyance, and slowly walked over to her black and ruby blade. For a few seconds, she stared down at it. Tyson thought she was about to stand on it, but instead, she picked it up and slipped it into her black trouser pocket. Kai was still leaning against the alley wall, with his arms folded. He was watching her actions closely. Max was stood behind Kenny, with his hands on Kenny's shoulders. They both felt sorry for her, and they wanted to say something to her. Ray tried to catch her attention, so he could throw her quick smile. She was only staring at the dish, though. As if it was a piece of dirt. Tyson took a small step forward, getting closer to the girl. He needed to see if she was alright, he couldn't just leave her here on her own without knowing she was going to be okay. He knew what it felt like to loose a beybattle so badly...

"Are...you okay?" Tyson asked in a soft, quiet tone. He expected her to say nothing, but she spoke up straight away, and even gave him a smile.

"I'm fine...I'll be okay. It was just a shock, that's all," She replied, giving each one of the Bladebreakers a smile. All of them gave her one back, all except Kai.

"Yeah...are you sure? I mean...you looked really upset?" Tyson asked, making sure she was okay. She gave him a friendly nod.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. You should go home...I'll be fine here myself," She said, throwing her hands on her hips.

Tyson pulled her a shocked face. "What? Are you crazy? We can't just leave you!"

"Hey, I appreciate your concern..but...errrr..."She suddenly cut off towards the end. Her smile faded away, and she bowed her head. She looked so heart-broken.

'Poor girl...she is upset. And we can't leave her here.' Ray was worried about her, what if they did leave and something happened to her? He would feel responsible. He stepped forward slightly, as the girl looked up at him.

"Hey..listen...we know you're upset...we could walk you home, if you like," Ray suggested, smiling at her.

Everyone noticed her face suddenly brighten up. "Oh guys, you're all so nice! You would do that?"

Ray nodded, and smiled, showing her his teeth. Max walked in front of Kenny, and put his hands on her two shoulders.

"Hehe! You'll be fine with us! We'll cheer you up!" He chirped, giving her a quick wink.

"Oh, I'm Tyson by the way. Nice to meetcha!" Tyson smiled, in a bubbly tone. He held out his hand, wanting to shake hands with her. She looked at his hand for a few seconds, then decided to shake his hand. She grabbed his hand and shook it hard on purpose, almost ripping his arm out of socket.

"Argh-shi- I mean...err...some handshake you got there," Tyson stuttered, letting go of her hand quickly before she shook it even harder. The girl pulled him a cheeky grin.

"Haha..at least she's got a sense of humour! I'm Max!" Max shouted bubbly, shaking her hand. She turned to Kenny, and smiled.

"Awwww...aren't you a cutie? How old are you?"

"Uhhh...13..." Kenny replied, walking towards her, and shaking her hand.

"Ha! Really? You don't look a day over ten!" She smirked. Next, she turned to Ray, and grabbed his hand, even though he hadn't even held it out yet for a shake!

"Heh. I'm Ray. Nice to meet you!" He smiled. She continued to shake his hand.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too! Nice teeth!" She said, examining them closer, while still shaking his hand!

"Yeah thanks...you gonna let go now?" He asked, in a friendly voice. She glanced down at her and Ray's hand. She had gripped it tightly on purpose, so he couldn't try and pull his hand away like Tyson.

She smiled then let go. Everyone looked around at Kai, in his usual pose. She stared at him for a second, waiting for him to introduce himself. Ray, Tyson, Max and Kenny looked at him from behind the girl. Tyson shook Max's hand, giving Kai signs that he should shake her hand. Kai just looked at them and shook his head. 'Idiots..'

'Is he just going to stand there? That's a bit rude of him...He has been a bit quiet, maybe he's just shy!' The girl walked up to Kai, and held out her hand. His head was bowed. He moved his head further up, and glanced at her hand. She couldn't see his eyes properly before, but now she could.

'Wow...his eyes...crimson...they're beautiful...I haven't seen many eyes this color before. Well, maybe that's just me, and I don't really pay attention to people's eye colors much...hmm...what's his problem? He's staring at my hand like it's a piece of dirt..'

"Well? Are you going to shake my hand or am I going to have to force you?" She smirked, jokily. Kai looked up fully, and stared at her, keeping his face straight. He was alarmed to see such a pretty face.

_Kai's POV_

_I looked at her hand. I didn't want to shake it. I don't know this girl. Then she spoke to me. She seems jokey, and laid-back. Annoying..._

_I looked up at her..._

_I was a little...shocked, in a way. I looked up to see this pale face staring at me. Rosy cheeks, a soft, but cheeky smile...red hair dangling over her cheeks a little...but her eyes...they were staring right at me, bright, sparkling emerald eyes...unusual, they had a hint of red in them too..._

_End POV_

Kai kept his straight face, he didn't want to show her or his team mates any emotion over this girl. After all, to Kai, she was only just some girl...

"Kai. Kai Hiwatari," He said glumly, bowing his head slightly so he wasn't face to face with her anymore.

'Hm...he doesn't seem too friendly...oh well, the rest of them do!' She lowered her hand, and turned back to the rest of the Bladebreakers.

"We don't even know your name yet!" Kenny said. "What is your name?"

"The name's Fern. Pleased to meet you...ALL..." She smiled, looking around at Kai when she said the word "ALL" sarcastically.

"Fern, eh? Nice...So, do you live here?" Asked Tyson, trying to make a conversation.

"Why make a pointless conversation in an alley way? I thought you were going to take her home," Kai suddenly spoke up. Everyone looked around at him.

"Yeah..Kai does have a point. Maybe we should get back into the street where it's safer, " Ray suggested.

Tyson nodded. "Yeah, sure. Okay, let's go!"

The six teens strolled down the alley, Fern walking beside Tyson, still carrying on the conversation.

"No, I don't live here. I live with my friend, in England. I just like to travel around, catching every Beyblade tournament there is. I'm a fan," Fern explained.

Max felt less scared walking down the alley now. Tyson was safe, and they were going OUT of the alley, not into it. He ran around Ray, making his way towards Fern. He walked beside her.

"Really? You're a fangirl? Ohhh I like you already!" Max chirped, pulling Fern a smug grin, with his eyes closed, and an over-stretched smile.

"Hehe. Yeah, I'm a fan," Fern smiled.

"If you don't mind, I have a question. Why do you only watch tournaments? I mean, you have a bit-beast! Do you have your own team?" Asked Ray, trying to avoid talking about the Beybattle she had just badly lost.

"Well, believe it or not, I did actually have a team. I lost contact with them, though,"Fern said, finishing her sentence with a loud sigh.

They reached the street. Max looked back down the alley. 'Gee...I won't be going down there again!'

Tyson, Max, Ray and Kenny stood in a line, with Fern in front of them. Kai stood behind Kenny.

"It's nice to be out of there!" Max said, sighing with relief.

Tyson ignored him, he was interested in what Fern had to say for herself.

"You said you lost contact with them? How?" Asked Tyson, puzzled. Ray nudged Tyson slightly, trying to stop him from asking all of these questions. Ray thought she might be uncomfortable with all of these questions from strangers, but to his surprise, she spoke up.

"Well, it was about three years ago. I was 12, and a keen blader...we had entered a few tournaments, but we never won. Well, we are all from Japan, and after the last tournament we were in, we went home, defeated. Though I lived with my mom at the time, and she wanted to move to England, because it's where her boyfriend lived...so I had to leave my team..I was so sad...that's until I met this great girl, she looked after me like she was my mother. My mom didn't have alot time for me..." Fern paused for a few seconds, then started rambling on again. "...But this girl did, she really looked out for me. She was twenty years old back then, she's older now, though. Well, my mother died. My so-called step dad moved away and left me. I had no where to go, that's when my friend said she'd take care of me! And here I am!"

She watched their shocked faces. Tyson was surprised how great she was getting on after everything she had been through. Ray admired her for being brave, he was happy to see her getting on with life.

"Hehe, sorry, when I start talking, I never stop! Anyway...I guess my blading skills have gone downhill. After my mother died, I didn't blade for a whole two years, until my friend told me I shouldn't give up my dream. I battled one kid one day, and lost. Badly. I had gotten so bad! I got a little better over-time, but...now I just spend my time watching beybattles instead of actually competing in them."

"I really don't know what to say...I'm sorry to hear about what happened...you seem a really nice girl...why don't you just get someone to train you? Or help you? I'm sure you'll make a great blader..."Ray said, smiling at her, trying to make her feel good about herself.

"Oh, don't worry about it. You have other things to worry about, like beating the Blade Warriors in the final," Fern smiled, shaking her head.

"Why were you battling them anyway, if you knew you were...errrr..."Tyson started, almost calling her bad. He managed to stop before he called her it, he didn't want to make her feel bad.

"Heh. It's okay, you can say it. I'm a bad blader," She said. "Well, I went out for a stroll. I hired an apartment here, and naturally, I was bored stuck inside there, and I had only arrived here yesterday! So I went out for a walk, that's when I met the Blade Warriors. They wanted a battle...in fact, they did seem a little pushy...they seemed desperate..anyway, I refused, I didn't want to make a fool of myself. But they said they wouldn't leave me alone until I did, so we found somewhere quiet to have one."

Everyone had their eyes fixed on Fern, she felt a little nervous. She glanced around, trying not to keep eye contact with them. She felt weak and stupid, useless and upset.

"Hn...it seems the Blade Warriors may be worthy opponents. We had better keep our eyes on them," Kai coldly commented, causing Fern to look straight over to him.

Tyson stepped forward. He looked deep in thought, with his hand rubbing against his chin, and his other on his hip. Ray, Max, Kenny and Fern stared at him, wondering what he was doing, or thinking about. He thought back to what Ray had said only minutes ago.

_"I really don't know what to say...I'm sorry to hear about what happened...you seem a really nice girl...why don't you just get someone to train you? Or help you? I'm sure you'll make a great blader..."_

A thought suddenly hit his mind, making him jump towards Fern, placing his two hands on her shoulders.

"I've got it! How about I teach you some stuff? I'll make you even better than you were when you were with your team!" Tyson smirked, making everyone's jaws drop open, including Kai's.

"What? Are you serious?" Kai argued, making every jump with surprise. "We have our own training to do, it would be pointless."

"Hey! When did I say "we"! I said I would help her, not you! And besides, we have all the time in the world! We have plenty of spare time. I'll be happy to help her!" Tyson snapped back, watching Kai's face turn into a smile of sarcasm.

'Ha! This is a joke, right?'

"Haha, no way Tyson, she's not even part of our team!" Kai said, almost laughing, in disbelief.

"Well...I think it's a good idea, Kai," Max said, standing next to Fern, and resting his elbow on her shoulder. "She could be our official substitute!" Max joked.

"Oh, don't you mean a useless substitute? You saw the way she lost back there! Even she admitted her skills were going downhill!" Kai snapped, unfolding his arms, moving closer towards Tyson and Max, nudging Kenny as he walked past.

"Hey!" Kenny snapped, rubbing his arm.

"KAI! I can't believe your attitude! You saw the way she lost, and you're practically mocking her!" Tyson snapped, moving forward towards Kai, gritting his teeth together.

Ray moved next to Tyson and Kai, incase they started yet another argument. "Listen guys, no one is mocking anyone."

"GUYS!" A sweet voice called from behind, making everyone's heads turn to face Fern. "I'm as surprised as you, Kai, although I would appreciate it, Tyson!"

"Yes of course, I don't care what Kai says! I'll help you out, you deserve it!" Tyson smiled.

'I'm doing this because she deserves it. Yes. She does. She's a pretty good blader, all she needs is a little encouragement and she'll be as good as us in time, I hope! I know we'll never replace her old team, but I'll do my best to make her feel happy. It seems this girl has had a rough time...'

"Urgh...fine...BUT as long as you take time to practice yourself, too!" Kai finally agreed, but rolling his eyes in the process, and cursing Tyson under his breath.

Tyson jumped up, and punched his fist through the air. "Alllllllrighttttt! Nice one, Kai!"

"Hey, I'll be pleased to give you a few tips too!" Smiled Ray.

"Oh guys...thanks so much! You won't regret this, I'll work so hard!" Fern chirped, flinging her arms around Tyson.

-rumble-

"What's that noise?" Fern asked, when a quiet rumbling sound appeared. Tyson let go of fern, and stood staring at her, smiling cheekily.

"Heh...my stomach...I'm hungry..."Tyson said.

"Ah- now there's a surprise!" Laughed Max, staring at Tyson's stomach.

Tyson held his stomach like he was trying to hide it, when he noticed Max staring at it. "Quit staring at me!"

"Hehe!" Max giggled, he could see Tyson was getting embarrassed.

"Uh...anyway...should we say...tomorrow? About half ten? If you come to our hotel, we'll find a place to train." Tyson explained.

"Sure. Where are you staying?" Asked Fern.

"We'll show you, then we'll walk you back to your apartment!" Tyson smiled.

"Thanks guys!"

They began to walk down the street, not bothered about the darkness anymore. The only thing that bothered Kai, was this new girl. In a good way or bad way? He just didn't know.


	4. Training on the Hill Tops

**AOD83:) Thank you for the reviews everyone, you're all so flattering /hugs/ You're all so nice!**

**Fern: Yay! Someone likes me!**

**Kai: I don't!**

**Fern: I didn't mean you!**

**AOD83: ... Please read and review chapter 4 :D This chapter is the longest so far! Anyway, enjoy:)**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 4- Training on the Hill Tops**

"Tyson! Get up!" Ray moaned, hovering over a big bump in the double bed. All that could be heard was a quiet grunt from under the covers.

Suddenly a bright light leaked into the room, shining on the sleeping teen. Ray's restless eyes followed to where the light was coming from, and found Kenny, who had just opened the long curtains, to reveal a yellow sun trying to squeeze itself into the room. Ray could see the light wasn't going to drag Tyson out of bed, so he had to take action. Quietly, he grabbed the end of the covers and pulled the cover towards him, revealing Tyson curled up like a squirrel hibernating on the mattress. Ray kept tight hold of the covers so Tyson couldn't try to pull it back.

"Morning sleepy head!" Ray sang, pulling the duvet cover along with him, as he walked towards the kitchen area. The sharp rays of the sun were irritating Tyson. Finally, he rubbed his eyes, trying to fight the sun away. Realizing this wasn't going to work, he sat up instead, and faced the opposite direction to the window.

Max was sat in the seating area, watching cartoons on TV, while Kenny was now helping Ray cook some breakfast. Kai was in the bathroom, as usual he was up first. He even had a struggle getting Max up this morning, and he couldn't be bothered to try with Tyson, so he let Ray finish off his dirty work.

The fumes of bacon reached Tyson's nose, making him fly out of bed, with only food now on his mind.

"Oh boy! Is that nearly done, Ray?" He asked, making his way over to Kenny and Ray.

"Almost. You should go and get dressed, Fern will be here in half an hour!" Ray replied, getting back to his cooking.

"Sure!" Tyson happily skipped off towards the bathroom.

"He's in a good mood!" Ray said quietly, giving Kenny a quick glance with his yellow eyes.

"Yeah..I hope Kai is too..." Max said, over-hearing, but still with his head stuck to the TV screen.

Only a few blocks away, Fern slumped onto the dark red settee. She glanced around her apartment, bored. She had managed to get out of bed only minutes ago, but already she was dying of boredom. The apartment was simple, spacious, lonely...

She glanced around, commenting on her apartment in her mind. The room she was sat in was in fact, the kitchen, bedroom and sitting room. A small bed was hiding in the corner, with a large pair of drawers beside it. The dull colors in the apartment made her feel somewhat depressed- boring whites and greys, dark reds and browns. There was a tiny TV set in front of her, in the off position. Random paintings were scattered on the walls, of New York. She shook her head in disappointment.

'I'm never staying here again! People say you should never believe things you hear on TV, well my motto is never believe things you read in holiday brochures!'

She glanced up at the clock. It was only ten past ten. She tried to focus her thoughts on something else.

'I'm so excited! These guys seem so nice! I'll definitely be routing for them in the final! The only person who seems a bit off, is Kai. The others seem so bright and full of life...then there's him...who just...doesn't.'

She suddenly slapped her forehead for thinking about the most pointless thing. Well, maybe the final wasn't pointless. But she was judging the Bladebreaker's personalities, and she never usually did this.

Trying to ignore her thoughts, she sat through a boring ten minutes, staring at white walls, and gently kicking the coffee table in front of her. She found it kind of stress-relieving.

She once again glanced up at the clock, and she hoped it would be the last time! It was twenty past. She bounced up from the settee, now feeling full of life, and grabbed the apartment keys from the hook, dropping them into her pocket. She grabbed her two ruby boots, and slipped them on quickly. She felt a smile creep onto her face, and she left her apartment. Finally, she didn't feel so bored anymore, and she wasn't even at the hotel yet.

Sat around the fairly big dinner table, Kai, Tyson, Ray, Max and Kenny were all tucking into bacon and eggs. Tyson was grazing it all down fast, and demanding extras from Ray. Max and Kenny stared at him, wondering where he puts it all.

Max's blue eyes suddenly widened in surprise. Tyson had shoved egg up his nose instead of his mouth, which left Max totally off his food. He felt his stomach twist as he continued to watch, despite feeling sick.

"Woa woa! Take it easy! You're eating so fast you're not even hitting your mouth!" Ray said, staring at the hungry teen. Tyson gave Ray a small glare, then went back to eating.

Max and Kenny continued to watch Tyson stuff his face.

"Are you actually tasting the food?" Asked Max, raising his eyebrow.

"Urgh..." Kai let out a soft groan of annoyance, and left the table without finishing his eggs. Everyone except Tyson watched Kai walk off to the seating area.

"Don't you like eggs, Kai?" Asked Ray, concerned.

"Oh I like them just fine. However, I don't like Tyson," He coldly said, shutting off the TV.

Tyson glared at Kai for the comment, but his mouth was too full to say anything. He tried to argue back. "Weeelg Ah doont lark yoo eiver!" Tyson mumbled, with his mouth stuffed with food. He could feel small crumbs tumbling out of his mouth, hitting his plate. He sounded as if he was trying to talk with his tongue stuck out

Max looked at Tyson, puzzled. "What did you say?"

"Never mind him. Fern will be here soon..." Kai said, slumping onto one of three settees.

A loud knock at the door made Tyson jump a little. Max pulled Tyson a grin. "She's here!" And with that, he jumped out of the table seat, forgetting about Tyson's eating habits. He excitedly opened the door. Stood in the doorway, was Fern, looking better than she did yesterday. Her two-shaded hair was more noticeable than last night- it was bright, shiny and looked very silky and soft. Max felt like running his fingers through it, but he held back his urge. Her emerald eyes sparked with happiness and enjoyment. Max gave her a smile, as he examined her, trying not to make his thoughts sail too far. He moved to one side, to let her in the room.

"Hey guys!" She cheery smiled, watching all heads turn to face her. She looked around in amazement. Her apartment was nothing to this hotel. She could see the difference straight away. It was big, luxury and full of bright character. Everything was so alive, it looked like a cool pad to party in. That's what it felt like to her. But for Tyson and his team mates, this was pretty normal. She had her boring apartment wiped out of her mind completely. Ray suddenly cut in and broke her chain of thoughts.

"Hey, Fern. You all set and ready?" Asked Ray. Fern nodded, turning her attention onto him.

"Yeah, I am," She smiled. She glanced over at Tyson, who had a large piece of bacon dangling out of his mouth. He gave her a wave, instead of talking and risking loosing all of his food. "Hey, Tyson! I see you're all set and ready!" She joked sarcastically, walking further into the room. She looked around, confused. 'One...two...three...four...where's Kai?'

She spun around, and caught sight of Kai sitting on a settee, with his eyes closed, arms crossed over chest. She stared at him. He was like a statue. He wasn't moving,he looked as if he was thinking about something. She began to wonder what he was thinking about. 'What do guys like Kai think about? Football? Blading? Girls? Probably not.'

_Kai's POV_

_I just decided to rest my eyes when Fern walked in. I don't know why. I felt someone looking at me, so I glanced up to see Fern staring at me. Ray and Tyson were eating, as was Max and Kenny. She gave me a smile. I...felt this warm feeling inside of me build up, like I was happy. I want to smile back. It wouldn't hurt to give her a smile...would it?_

_Did I just think that...what am I thinking? I can't smile at her! _

_End POV_

"Mmmmmmmm!" Tyson broke Kai's chain of thoughts. "That was the best!"

Kai bowed his head away from her, and stood up, making his way to the door. Tyson smiled around at Ray, Max and Kenny as they cleared away their plates.

"We ready then? You ready Fern?" He smiled.

"You bet!" She giggled, holding her two fists up to her mouth, and squeezing her eyes shut.

When everyone was ready, they made their way down into the street. Max sighed with happiness as he glanced up into the deep, blue sky. Beautiful day. Despite being quite cold. Looking out from a hotel window, the out-side looked warm and clear, but now he was out-side, it was freezing! He could tell Winter was coming, fast. The sun was playing tricks, as usual. A few clouds were rolling by, heading straight for the sun to block it out. He hugged himself to warm himself up a little, while walking down the road with his team mates, and new girl friend.

The giant sky-scrapers surrounded them. The noise of busy people talking, getting to work and taking their children out to visit New York filled the once-silent air. Everyone was wrapped up warm, much to Max's jealousy. He suddenly wished he had worn something much warmer, and began to imagine himself with a scarf and hat on.

Fern could feel the goose pimples sticking up on her cold arms. "Brrrr! It's cold!"

The Bladebreakers and Fern had made their way to some grassy hills, over-looking the sea. Kai had led them along a beach on purpose. He knew the sea would make it even colder for them, even for himself, but he wanted strong team mates not weak ones who were too scared to battle in the cold. He had a feeling it would snow soon anyway, Winter was coming fast this year. Only a couple of leaves had fallen, but the weather certainly made it more like Winter than Autumn.

The hills Kai had chosen to practice on were not so high, but when looking over the edge at the sea, it looked pretty far down. There was about ten hills altogether. They weren't squashed together, but there was a little bit of flat, grassy land in between each one. They looked like the hills used for Hill sheep farming with the in-by, but of course these hills were much lower, and they had a better view. You could over-look the sea from all hills, but the one hill they were stood on was the one stopping the sea water from flooding into the area. Fern glanced down at the sea, watching the strong waves bang against the bottom of the hill.

Kai watched his team mates look around in amazement, at the beautiful scenery. The high sky-scrapers and small buildings of New York could be seen below the deep blue sky. Fern could even see a couple of the streets they had walked down to get to the beach. She looked at the dim sun shine over New York, like it's guardian angel.

"Well? What are we waiting for?" Kai asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that, it's just the scenery is so gorgeous!" Ray smiled at Kai, only receiving a "Hn" back.

"Alright, I'm going on the hill over there with Max and Ray. You three stay here, and come over when you have finished doing whatever," Kai said, directing his cold glare at Tyson, Kenny and Fern. Kenny threw a rounded dish over to Kai from his heavy backpack he had been carrying. Kai began to make his way down the hill, to go to the next hill. Max and Ray followed him, which left Tyson, Kenny and Fern on the main hill, with the best view.

"Alrighty!" Kenny pulled out another dish from his bag, with Dizzi under his right arm, and placed it down in between Tyson and Fern. He sat not too close to the edge of the hill, next to his huge backpack.

"Very clever, Kenny!" She smirked, staring down at the dish.

"Yeah, but keep in mind some dishes are alot more complicated than this thing!" Tyson smirked, slipping his blade onto his launcher.

Fern smirked back. "If you're a good teacher, I'm sure I'll be able to handle them!" She pointed her launcher at the dish, both teens waiting for Kenny to set them off.

"Let it Rip!" Kenny squeaked, as both blades crashed into the dish, circling around and around.

"Go Werex!" Fern summoned her bit-beast to come forth. Her blade shook slightly, as a dark grey light emerged, causing a strong wind on the hill top. Even Kai, Max and Ray could feel the wind from the hill they were stood on. It was disturbing their practice, as the force was incredible. Kai stared in shock, he didn't think a weak blader could handle that much power. The light finally formed into a dark creature. A Shewolf, hovered in front of Fern. It had dark, black scruffy fur. The wolf had short legs, but the claws on each end of it's paws looked deadly. She had attractive, bright green eyes which stood out over her black fur. Werex let out a loud howl, showing off her sharp teeth. Tyson could tell it was a female wolf, it hard all of those girly features. Eyes you couldn't stop looking at. Feminine howl. Cute face.

"Awwwww!" Tyson let out a sarcastic sound, as if to say Werex was cute.

Fern shook her head in amusement. "Cute, but deadly."

"DRAGOON!" Tyson called out for his blue dragon, and immediately a blue dragon erupted from Tyson's blade.

"WEREX, BLACK OUT!" Fern ordered. The wolf stood on two feet and cradled it's arms like it was holding a baby. Suddenly she let go, and threw her arms up into the air, releasing sinister black mist from her paws. Tyson stepped back in surprise, as the mist creeped over to Dragoon. Slowly, the mist had swarmed around the dragon, blacking out his path. Tyson couldn't see Dragoon anymore, he was swallowed somewhere in the mist. The black mist began getting closer to Tyson, and soon it surrounded him too. Werex tried to put the two of them off so she could knock the blade out of the dish, and finish it.

"DRAGOON STORM ATTACK!" Tyson cried, flapping his arms around in the mist, trying to get rid of it. It wouldn't budge. Tyson caught sight of Dragoon's blue tail.

Suddenly a wild tornado appeared, blowing the black mist up into the air, making it swirl around and around in the deadly wind. The wind off the tornado distracted Fern. Her loose hair blew all over the place, resulting in her having to hold it down while still trying to battle.

Tyson and Fern squinted their eyes, trying to focus on the match. The dark mist was still hovering around them, but most of it had been sucked up by the tornado. The wind suddenly settled, and the black mist was totally gone. Dragoon had settled down, as the tornado came to a stop. Tyson and Fern stared at the black and ruby blade which had been sent out of the dish.

Fern couldn't help but smile- She walked up to her blade and picked it up, letting Werex go back inside. Tyson picked up his from the dish and smiled.

"Hey, you're great! You're better than I expected!" He smiled.

"Thanks, Tyson, I tried. I gave it by best," Fern added. She quickly looked around at Kai, Max and Ray on the next hill. All three of them were staring at Tyson and Fern. Max let out a loud cry of happiness.

"Alllrighttt! Fern, that was amazing!" Max chirped, waving his arms about.

Fern sent a smile over. She looked over at Kai, who was still standing watching. He just stared at her, with no smile or no 'well done' which she hoped for. Ray smiled at her though, and gave her thumbs up.

Fern looked back at Tyson, to see Kenny now standing next to Tyson.

"Great, Fern! I can see you're pretty good," Kenny smiled.

"Yeah, your blade is very fast, and that's probably why it was sent out of the dish. Don't worry, I'll learn you to control it more. Your bit-beast is powerful, so you'll be a good competitor," Tyson explained.

After two hours of hard training, Kai finally let them have some rest. Max and Ray re-joined Tyson, Fern and Kenny on the hill, while Kai sat alone at the top of another hill. The four Bladebreakers were sat on the grass, while Fern was stood up, hovering over Kenny.

"Wow Fern, you really have got some great blading skills!" Ray complimented.

"Aw, thanks, Ray. I'm not so great, though. I haven't won a battle in years!" She said.

"It takes time," Max chirped, giving Fern an encouraging smile.

"...I wish we had brought a snack or something," Tyson said, in a serious tone.

"But Tyson, how can you still be hungry after that huge breakfast?" Asked Ray, confused.

As the Bladebreakers started rambling on, Fern wandered off down the hill. It wasn't too steep, so she managed to run down it, giving her legs a good stretch. She reached the bottom with ease. She stood on the flat grassy land for a few seconds. The sea was much closer now, but it was warmer down there.

'May as well go and see Kai..'

She glanced up at the hill where Kai was. She could see his white scarf blowing around from above. She began to climb up doggy-style, with her feet trailing along while she pulled herself up with her hands. She could easily walk straight up, but crawling up seemed to warm her up a little. She could feel the ice off the grass stick to her hands and could hear her boots crunching on it. She felt a cold shiver run into her stomach, as the sudden icy chill made her jump slightly.

She reached the top, trying to keep her balance so she didn't suddenly slip. She found Kai sat with his legs crossed, eyes closed, and arms crossed over his chest. She smiled at him, trying to catch his attention.

_Fern's POV_

_I reached the top, to find Kai sat down. How can he sit on icy grass? His backside must be freezing!_

_I looked back over at the others, who were still sat around talking. I looked back around at Kai, to see him looking straight at me._

_End POV_

"Isn't your ass cold?" Fern asked, giving him a cheeky grin. For some reason, Kai was struggling not to smile at Fern's comment. He managed to fight it away though, just in time.

"Hn," Kai let out a quiet grunt. Fern shook her head, and sat down beside him. She felt a cold shiver run up her backside, making her teeth snap together with shock. She breathed in slowly, trying to ignore the frost bite. She turned her head to look at Kai. He was looking straight forward, looking out at sea. The view wasn't as good as the other hill. The hill Tyson was on was blocking a little of it, but not all of it. New York could still be seen from here.

"It looks nice, doesn't it?" Fern said, looking in the same direction as Kai.

Kai turned his head and faced Fern, who was staring out at the sea, like he was before.

"What?" He asked in confusion. This time, Fern faced him. He was once again staring eye-to-eye with this girl.

'Hn...'

"The scenery. It's nice," Fern smiled at him. He wanted to smile back. He fought with his mouth, trying to dodge the smile that was trying to force it's way onto his face. Instead, he faced the sea again, and ignored her.

There was a long silence between them. The sound of the swirling waves roared in the distance. Tyson's voice could be heard, from the other hill. The smooth wind blew into their faces. The sun was still shining down, letting off it's powerful rays of light, while the slight chill in the air sent shivers to their bodies.

Finally, Fern stood up. She realized she wasn't going to get any conversation out of him.

"I'm going to explore," She said.

Kai just gave her a simple nod, leaving Fern to wander off. She made her way down the hill, heading off in the opposite direction to the sea.

Kai glanced behind his shoulder, to see if she was gone. He couldn't see her anymore. Bored of staring at the grass, he looked forward again at the sea. Thoughts filled his head, about the upcoming final. He watched Tyson and Max laughing and annoying each other, and Ray and Kenny were looking on Dizzi. Kai shook his head, annoyed. He wasn't convinced Tyson was ready for the final. He was way too cocky.

'Fern will only hold him back. If he continues to train her everyday like this, he'll slip. And I won't let that happen!...If he really wants to help her then why doesn't he wait until after the final and concentrate on his own training? Hmm...I suppose he is training a little...he's had a few battles with Fern today...hey...wait...she actually might become useful. If he continues to train her everyday, then that means he's not lazing about stuffing his face. And Fern seems determined to get better, so I'm sure someone like Tyson would continue to do this everyday...yeah...this actually might work!'

Kai smiled at himself. If Tyson was out there training Fern everyday, he would technically be training, too.

After an hour staring at the sea, Kai stood up and ordered his team mates to continue training.

"Where's Fern!" Tyson called over to Kai, with his launcher in his hand.

"She went exploring," Kai replied back, with a sigh to go with it.

"Oh...I'll go look for-" Tyson began, until hewas interrupted by Kai.

"No. I'll go look for her. You practice with Ray!" Kai ordered.

Tyson rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine!"

'Now...where did she go?' Kai glanced over in the direction she went. He shook his head, annoyed that he now had to go on a hunt for a girl when he was supposed to be training.

Kai quickly made his way down the hill, watching his step. He actually felt a little uneasy walking down a slippery hill. He circled the edge of that hill, enjoying the warmth. The sun was cut out from the flat land, though, but the wind wasn't so strong down there.

It was like a maze. He sighed with anger, he had a feeling he would be searching for a while.

He walked around in circles, circling each hill, but ending up to where he first started.

'Goddamn!'

He decided to try another way. He stayed along the edge, trying not to circle the hills or go too far around them.

Out of no-where, he heard a slight tinkling sound, like small pales of waterwere being dropped. He didn't think anything of it, he guessed it was the sea. But it sounded different...

Ignoring the sound, he carried on walking around the hills. It was getting boring. Fern wasn't in sight, and the scenery wasn't exactly interesting. He could feel the frost sticking to his arms, and his toes were freezing. His bare arms were turning paler than they already were. He sighed, as he yet again turned another corner- but to his surprise, there were no hills in sight. It was a large, flat area, very bare, but he was pleased there were no more hills to climb. In the distance, stood a small area of trees, stood around in a circle. He walked further into the bare grounds. He could really feel the cold hit him sharply now, at least the hills blocked out some of the cold.

Startled, a quiet whispering sound filled his ears. Listening carefully, trying to block out the sea's waves, Kai listened hard, trying to make out what the voice was saying. Unfortunately, it was too quiet to make out, but he knew it was a girl's voice. A whisper.

'What...the...who's talking? What's going on? Is it Fern?'

Kai spun around, trying to work out where this whispering was coming from. He couldn't see Tyson, Ray, Max or Kenny anymore. 'It can't be them...can it?'

He listened harder, fighting off the cold air and concentrating on this voice.

'No. It's a girl's voice.'

He stood back, trying to see if anyone was on top of the hills near to him. He held his hand straight above his eyes as he glanced up at the hills, trying to block out the sun shining on them.

'No. There's no one there...'

Confused, Kai looked back at the area of trees. 'Ah- maybe it's coming from there...'

The trees were all stood in a circle. Behind them, was a large cliff wall, it looked as if some of the trees were resting on it. The cliff was much taller than the hills, way too dangerous to be practicing on. He once again heard the sound of smooth, falling water. It was almost silent, but it sounded as if there was lots of it.

'What's with the random cliff and trees?'

Kai suddenly noticed where the sun was shining. He noticed the difference between the tree area to the rest of the flat land. The sun was directly shining on the trees, which left the outside area glum and dim. It was as if the trees were in the spotlight.

It looked beautiful, but it was unusual. Small flowers were growing around the trees, and small unusual plants.

'But...it's almost Winter!' Kai stared at the area, trying to figure out an explanation for this. 'Hn...well sunlight does make flowers grow I guess...'

He shook his head hard. 'Wait- why do I care?'

The girl's voice had finally stopped, that's when Kai realized it was coming from the trees. It's like the trees were guarding something, hovering around something.

"Fern?" Kai finally spoke up, remembering he was meant to be looking for her.

Kai squinted his eyes, as a small movement occurred from in the trees. A figure popped out. It was Fern.

"Oh, hey Kai!" She smiled at him, running towards him. "Did I miss anything?"

Kai stared at her for a few seconds, motionless. She raised her eyebrow at him. 'Is he just going to ignore me?'

"Was that you talking?" He asked, to her surprise.

"Um..yes..."She admitted, walking beside him, to go back to their team mates.

"Who were you talking to?" He asked, looking at her.

"Oh...errrmm...myself. I was feeling a little lonely," Fern said, stuttering at first, but her words finally came out. He pulled her a sarcastic look, as if to say, 'Oh sure, I believe you.'

"Don't you believe me?" Asked Fern, pulling him a serious face.

"Did I say I didn't?" Asked Kai, as the two of them began to walk up the nearest hill.

"Well the look you pulled me!" She said, slightly cheery this time.

"Hn. Whatever," Kai said, not bothered about making a conversation about this with her.

When they reached the top of the hill, they realized they weren't too far away from Tyson and the others. Kai could see they were all training. 'Good, I expected Tyson to be sat lazing about.'

Kai completely wiped away the thoughts about blading, and focused them on Fern, who was stood staring at him, waiting for him to walk down with her.

'Why was she in there? I suppose it's nothing of my concern.'

He glanced back at the small area where Fern was. 'Hmm...strange...'


	5. Unexpected Feelings

**AOD83:) Hello again! I read back my previous chapters, and I noticed I had spelt the word "hungry" wrong in every chapter... so I went back and I've corrected some spelling mistakes. Oh and thanks once again for the reviews! I'm so happy!**

**Fern: Me too!**

**Tyson: And me.**

**Max: And me!**

**Ray: And me.**

**Kai: ...**

**AOD83:.../glares/ Say it...**

**Kai:.../sigh/ And me...**

**AOD83: Please read and review chapter 5:D**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 5- Unexpected Feelings**

The curtains were tightly closed in the bedroom, blocking out any possible light. Kai was laid on his double bed, with his two arms behind his head, giving them a slight stretch. The shadowy room reflected upon Kai's current thoughts and feelings. He stared at the lifeless roof, gently giving his crimson eyes a rest. He glanced over at a sleeping Max and Ray, in the next double bed. Max was sleeping all sprawled out, which left Ray with little space to move. Ray breathed gently in his deep slumber, while Max's constant strong breaths due to his Winter cold irritated the silence in the room. Kai could hear Tyson snoring quietly from in the other room. He tried to ignore the sounds coming from his team mates, and concentrated on his own thoughts.

The room was dark blue, due to the great, dark night sky glowing outside the window. Kai had been awake for some time now, so his eyes were used to the dark. He had went to bed early, after spending all day yesterday giving Tyson some beylessons, trying to get him out of his cocky attitude by beating him a few times. Fern wasn't with them yesterday. In fact, no one knew where she was. Tyson had gone round to her apartment early to ask her if she wanted some practice. She wasn't in, to everyone's surprise. Even Kai's. He wondered why. But not knowing why, annoyed him a little. Just thinking about where she was really made him concentrate hard on her. Where would she go? Why? Why did he even care?

'She's just some girl...That day, when she went off into those woods. Well...I wouldn't exactly call them woods, there wasn't that many trees...either way, I felt strange. Somehow, I felt very attracted to this place. Like I wanted to find out more. I wanted to find out what was inside. What was inside? Who was she talking to? What about that watery sound?...Why am I even thinking about this? Why is it in my head? I don't really care about it, but it just keeps coming back. But...so many unanswered questions...it infuriates me.'

Kai pulled his duvet over his mouth, and snuggled in, moving his arms under the covers and curling up his legs. It was quite chilly, even with the heating on. Snuggling his nose into the pillow, he closed his eyes, trying to get some deserved sleep.

Tiredly opening up his eyes again due to loud and excited goings on in the next room, Kai realized it was morning. It didn't feel like it though. He felt like it was only minutes ago for when he woke in the middle of the night.

Suddenly the curtain leading into the next room drew open, revealing a very excited Tyson. He was still in his Pajamas, no surprises there. Kai looked over at him, still hugging the bed covers.

"Hey Kai! It's amazing!" Tyson screamed, standing in the doorway.

"What's amazing?" Asked Kai, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"I'm up before you!" Tyson stated happily.

"Oh, hooray..."Kai replied, sarcastically. He rolled his eyes, and slipped out of bed, realizing that he had slept in longer than he intended to. He was wearing a tight, dark blue vest, along with blue shorts. It showed his strong legs perfectly.

"Well, actually, Mr Dickenson wants to meet up with us!" Tyson explained, just as Max entered the room. He was fully dressed, to Kai's surprise.

Kai caught a sudden fume of smoked sausages from the other room. Ray was up cooking breakfast.

"Why?" Asked Kai, pulling off his vest, while standing up. His strong, thick muscles showed nicely. He pulled his right arm over the top of his left shoulder, giving them a quick morning stretch, making sure the toning would stay in place.

Tyson watched Kai stretch out his muscles, as he carried on talking. "Well he wants to discuss the tournament with us."

Kai ignored Tyson, as he pulled on his black vest. Tyson and Max continued to watch, expecting a reply off Kai. Kai saw them just standing there, as he was about to take off his shorts.

"I'm getting dressed," Kai snapped softly, glaring at the two teens. Max and Tyson both looked at each other, and rolled their eyes.

"Alright, fine!" Tyson followed Max out of the room, and pulled the curtain shut as he went out.

"Tyson, is Kai up?" Asked Ray, as Tyson and Max entered the room.

Ray was by the kitchen counter as usual, cooking the breakfast. Kenny was alongside Ray, helping him. It was quite a dim morning. The sun wasn't out, the sky was cloudy, and everything seemed so dull. Nothing stopped Tyson from being his usual self though.

"He was in bed when I went in! Har, you should of seen his face when he find out I was up earlier than him!" Tyson laughed, exaggerating.

"Oh, sure," Said Ray, trying to sound interested, but he was too busy with the breakfast.

Max flung himself on the settee, laying on his side while watching some TV. Tyson joined him, only to jump onto the other settee. Max was sat opposite the TV, while Tyson had chosen the right hand sofa to laze about on. He rested his head on the chair arm, while glancing over the Max.

"Hey, are we training again today? Or do you think Kai will let us have time off?" Tyson asked.

Before Max could answer, Kai walked into the room, only to answer for him.

"No." Kai said, straight and simple. Tyson's forehead creased.

"Awww c'mon Kai! We've been practicing for two full days, can't we have at least today off? I mean if you drive us too hard then we might be too tired for the final," Begged Tyson, putting on a baby-face. He pulled out his bottom lip and smiled sweetly at Kai, only to see Kai roll his eyes.

"Please?" Tyson asked, slapping his two palms together, as if he was begging. Max just watched in amusement.

"I thought you wanted to practice with Fern?" Asked Kai, but as soon as he said it, he regretted it. He wondered why he kept thinking about her, even though he hadn't seen her for two days.

"Ah well...she hasn't been around lately has she? Besides, Mr Dickenson wants to see us!"

Kai thought for a second, watching Tyson's pathetic face. He felt different today. Like he was weaker. And he couldn't be bothered to argue with Tyson at all.

"Fine..." Kai began, sighing. "But for the rest of the week you'll be practicing whether you like it or not! Got that?" Kai sounded like a strict school teacher, and the thought made Tyson giggle a little. Kai as a school teacher...what a sight.

"Heh...sure..."Tyson turned his head away from Kai, and looked over at Ray and Kenny to see them giving Tyson a 'Nice one!' look. Tyson smiled, and turned back to the TV.

Kai stood in the same spot and thought. 'Why did I just do that...Tyson will use this day for some lazing about...oh well...I guess it doesn't stop me from practicing...'

He finally sat down, on the left sofa, opposite Tyson.

Kai sighed, bored. 'It's going to be a long day...'

The chill in the air hit Fern like an ice-pack. Fern thought the sky looked sad, in a way. It had been a sunny weak up until now. At least even though it was cold, the sun had came out previously, showing signs of happiness. But now it wasn't there, and only grey clouds remained in the sky, Fern felt a drop of sadness hit her hard- like the world was about to end.

She followed the beach of screaming children, who didn't seem bothered about the weather. She thought they were crazy! It was almost Winter, and there were a few children running wild on the beach. She smiled, suddenly wondering what it would be like to be five years old again.

She continued to stroll along the freezing beach. She crossed her arms, trying to stop her long, peach coat from flapping all over the place due to the wind. She wore a long, red, white, black and orange stripy scarf, which was draped around her neck tightly, trying to keep as much cold out as possible.

In the distance, she spotted what she had been looking for. Those hills.

The wet, soggy sand was splashing at the bottom of her black trouser leg, making them dotty with dark yellow splodges. Rolling her eyes, she moved further away from the sea, away from the wet sand. She didn't want to get too messed up.

The white railings which hovered around the beach, where most kids climbed over instead of using the entrance further down, finally stopped, which revealed a grassy, part sandy land, exactly where the hills were. Sighing with relief that she was finally there, she dragged her feet along the grass. Before she knew it, she was running down the flat, grassy land, letting the cool wind hit her face. It felt good, now she was away from the beach. Unable to keep her eyes open, she continued to run, faster as she felt her hair blow into her face.

She stopped running, and stood back, smiling. In front of her stood the hills she had been searching for.

She began to climb up the first one, soon disappearing into the high hills.

Tyson had finally finished his breakfast, just as Mr Dickenson knocked on their hotel room door. Ray was the one who opened it, and greeted Mr Dickenson inside. He was wearing his usual cream suit, and hat.

He rubbed his mushtash, while smiling at each of the Bladebreakers. Tyson was laid down on one of the settees. Ray was stood hovering over him, with Max. Kai was stood up, leaning against the back wall, while Kenny turned off the TV, excited to what Mr Dickenson had in store for them.

"Hello, boys," Mr Dickenson began.

"Hey Mr D!" Tyson shouted in excitement. "So, what's up?"

Mr Dickenson stood in front of the door, looking at each of them. "Well, as you know, the final of the American tournament is in less than two weeks time. I'm here to discuss times and such with you."

Tyson bounced up from his lying down position, and sat crossed-legged on the sofa, becoming very interested in what he was going to say.

"On Friday next week you will all be picked up by a private coach," Mr Dickenson began, but with Tyson interrupting him.

"Oh great! What time!" Tyson asked, excitedly.

Mr Dickenson smiled at Tyson, he could see he was excited. "Ah well I was just getting to that. The Blade Warriors have decided to reach the stadium early, although I'm not sure why."

The five boys looked around at each other, with raised eyebrows.

"Yes..."Mr Dickenson could see by their faces that they were suspicious. "Well, I suppose it's for them to know, and for you to find out." Mr Dickenson joked, but he didn't succeed in seeing a smile on the Bladebreaker's faces. They looked kind of serious about it.

They could all feel the tension in the room, and unwanted one.

Mr Dickenson broke the quick silence. "Your coach will be arriving out-side of the hotel at one thirty. Don't be late, it's vital you get there on time."

"Oh, cool! We won't be late! You can count on us to get up, dressed and ready before half one!" Max smirked.

"Good, I hope you enjoy your last two weeks in America!" Mr Dickenson smiled.

Fern's glowing eyes were set onto the sea, after a long two hours exploring the hills, again. She was sat on the very top of the grassy land, curling her legs up and hugging her knees, trying to keep her body heat inside. She smiled to herself, as she watched the blue ocean.

She sat there for a while, thinking about things. Her old team. The hills. The Bladebreakers...

'They were so good to me...I haven't seen them in two days, maybe I should give them a quick visit...I think I need to thank them properly for what they've done for me. I feel a little guilty...I told them I'd be up for some more training, but it hasn't happened yet, all because I came here...'

She sat through another few minutes, wondering what her next step would be.

She suddenly stood up, feeling the air cool down her body again.

'Right...I'm off to see them.'

Fern made her way back into the streets of New York. She tried to fight away the great chill, even though the cold weather didn't bother her too much, she just made sure she kept wrapped up warm. But dull days, like this one, did bother her. She felt her happiness, hyperactive mood fade away.

She made it back to their hotel, hoping she would be greeted nicely by them. Entering the building, she could now feel the so glorious heat hit her body, making her feel slightly more alive.

Tyson and his crew were in their hotel room, still with Mr Dickenson.

"Okay, so I see you have everything sorted? Is there anything you need, boys?" Asked Mr Dickenson.

"Nope, we're doing fine!" Chirped Tyson.

"Good. And how is the hotel? I see it's pretty darn wealthy-looking," Mr Dickenson smiled.

"Oh, yeah. It's great-"Tyson began, about to explain why the hotel was so 'great'. He stopped when he caught sight of someone staring inside the room from behind Mr Dickenson. The Bladebreakers noticed it too. Mr Dickenson turned around to see what was so amusing, and saw a girl stood in the doorway.

He was a little puzzled at first, wondering who she was. There was a long silence, as the five teens stared at the young female, smiling at them.

"Hey guys..." Fern smiled. She raised her eyebrows at the man stood in front of her. 'Who the hell's he?'

"Do you know this young lady?" Asked Mr Dickenson, still facing Fern.

Ignoring him, Tyson jumped off the settee. "Fern! What are you doing here?"

Fern began to slowly walk into the room, and stood beside Mr Dickenson. She didn't want to go too far in, she didn't want to be seen as rude.

"Well...I...I don't think I thanked you properly for when you trained me, Tyson..." Fern said gently, watching Tyson's shocked expression turn soft.

Max and Kenny were stood in the background, smiling at her. Ray wasn't smiling, but he was happy to see her. Kai had sat down on a sofa. He only looked up once at her, then turned away.

"Oh, it's fine, I've told you!" Smiled Tyson.

"Have I missed something here?" Mr Dickenson asked, still confused.

Tyson turned to him. "Oh, sorry. Yeah, we met her, and I promised her I'd help her train...She's not too good..." Tyson whispered the last part so Fern couldn't hear. She didn't hear what he said, but she knew what it was.

"Tyson, I know I'm not too good, I don't mind you saying it. I don't mind, really." She said, cheery smiling around at everyone. She looked at the cold phoenix, sat with his arms crossed over his chest as usual. He wasn't looking at her, but she was hoping he would.

'Wow, that guy can just sit with his eyes closed for this long?...Sure, it is nice to sit relaxed sometimes, but this guy just keeps it going for ages...I'll show him how to have a good time...and he had better be ready for it...' Fern smirked to herself. She always thought he looked down in the dumps, and she loved to cheer people up. She felt she had to make him happy.

Wiping the thoughts from her head, she looked back at Tyson.

"Thanks you so much Tyson! I just hope you can teach me more..." She said, hoping for a positive response. She felt a little awkward that Tyson gave up his time to train her, then she doesn't show up for two days.

"Sure Fern, I said I would. But err...where were you yesterday?" Tyson watched Fern jerk slightly at the question. She was shocked he asked it, she didn't expect it.

"What do you mean? Did you come to my apartment?" Fern asked, sounding a little shocked.

'If he did come...then that means he really wants to do this..for me...and I went out, leaving him with no answer at my door. I can't believe how stupid I am!'

"Yeah, that's right," Max said, talking for Tyson this time.

"Oh, guys, I'm so sorry. I didn't think you were as serious about this as I was. If I had known you were coming-" Fern was cut off suddenly, by the sound of Mr Dickenson talking.

"Sorry to but in, but I must be off. Remember- one thirty, next Friday. I'll see you boys at the stadium!" Mr Dickenson said happily, leaving the room.

"Bye Mr D!" Ray and Max called together.

"Yeah see ya!" Tyson shouted, waving at Mr Dickenson.

Kenny just gave Mr Dickenson a smile as he left...Kai however, gave him nothing.

Fern noticed how very unsociable Kai was. Was he always like this? Or is he ill? Is he upset? Fern just couldn't work out what. 'Or...maybe it's just the way he is.'

"Sit down!" Chirped Max, as he grabbed hold of Fern's wrist. He pulled her along with him towards the right hand sofa, and unexpectedly, he pushed her onto it, giving her a cheeky grin to go with it.

"Max!" She laughed. She gripped his hand tighter. He didn't expect her to pull him down with her. Accidently, he landed on her lap, much to his surprise. Blushing slightly, he quickly bounced back up.

"Awww is Maxie blushing?" Tyson joked.

"Urgh...I think I'll change my mind and get you lot to do some training!" Kai snapped, making all heads turn to him.

Fern glanced over at him, a little unsure to what he meant.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, you see...Kai was going to let us have the day off..."Ray explained, sitting down beside her.

Fern looked at the angry captain, blinking at him motionlessly. Everyone stood in silence when they saw her daft expression.

"COOOOLLLL! LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!" The silence was rattled suddenly, when the hyperactive female pranced up, screaming out, making everyone apart from Kai sweatdrop.

Tyson nearly had a heart attack at the sudden scream. "Damn you woman! You could of killed me!"

"Ha...poor Ray, he was sat right next to her.." Laughed Max, watching Ray's nervous, pale face pull Fern a half smile.

"Awww I'm so sorry, Ray!" Fern sang, realizing how loud she had actually said it!

Kai spent the afternoon listening to Tyson, Max, Ray, Kenny and Fern messing on in the hotel. The day brightened up a little after a while. Not literally, because the sky was still dull and life-less, but after spending time with her new friends, Fern felt much happier.

Kai was sat on Tyson and Kenny's bed, against the head board, resting his back gently against it. He had his legs crossed, and his arms were folded above his head, resting against the wall. Fern noticed that he hadn't moved all day since after she had arrived. She wondered if it was something she had done, or was he always like this?

"Hey, guys!" Max's voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned to face Max quickly, snapping out of it.

The five of them were sitting on the tiger-striped rug in the middle of the seating area.

"How about a game of truth or dare?" Max suggested, stretching his feet and legs on the mat.

"Yeah!" Tyson shrieked with a positive attitude. Her looked around at everyone, and they all nodded, giving him the sign that they wanted to play too. Tyson glanced over at Kai. He had his eyes open, but he looked much deep in thought.

"Wanna play, Kai?" Tyson asked, even though he knew what the answer would be.

Kai gave him a soft glare. "No."

Simple enough. Tyson shook his head. 'Damn that guys needs to brighten up!'

"Alright, I'll go first!" Max smiled. "Truth or dare...Ray!"

Ray bit his bottom lip. Knowing Max would give him a stupid dare, he choose truth. "Truth."

"You bore..."Tyson mumbled under his breath.

"Ok...errmm...have you ever warn your underpants two days in a row?" Max asked.

Ray looked pale and nervous. Fern smiled to herself, she thought it was cute that he gets all nervous over a game.

"Errmm...well...no course not..."Ray stuttered, pulling a fake smile to everyone.

"You know Ray, there is a reason why this game is called TRUTH or dare. We want the truth!" Joked Tyson, trying to trick Ray into saying yes.

"Hey!" Ray felt his face burn up, and he could feel himself blush for a short time. "I'm telling the truth!"

"Ha..ok I'm just kidding!"

"Okay it's Ray's turn!" Kenny chirped.

"Hmmmm...truth or dare, Tyson!" Ray said, giving Tyson a 'I'm up to something naughty' look.

Tyson felt his heart speed suddenly race up. "Dare!" After he had said that, he immediately regretted it.

"Let me see..." Ray glanced around the room, trying to think of a good dare for Tyson. He caught sight of Kai. Then it came to him.

He lowered his voice. "Alright, Tyson. I dare you to...take some of Kai's socks and wear them around the hotel, to see if he notices."

Suddenly Fern burst into laughter, her mouth wide open letting out a screechy laugh. Unable to control herself, she almost toppled over with laughter. She could feel her tears of laughter run down her face, and her sides were beginning to ache. Her jaw started to ache too, while her friends stared at her, wondering what was so funny. Kai raised his eyebrow at her too.

Finally she stopped having her laughing fit, and was a little shy to see everyone staring at her in wonder.

"Ha! That is so funny. Damn, I like you guys," Fern smiled, still giggling.

Tyson raised his eyebrow, unsure of who to talk to first. Tell Ray that dare was stupid, or ask Fern why it was so funny?

"Uhhhh...are you kidding Ray? He'll kill me- literally!" Tyson argued, keeping his voice low so Kai couldn't hear.

"I'm serious! You know, there is a reason why this game is called truth or DARE!" Ray smiled, smugly.

"What was so funny, Fern?" Asked Max, quite amused by her outbreak of laughter.

"I really don't know. But the way you said it Ray, like you meant it. I mean, how's a guy like Kai gonna react to that?" Fern questioned, holding back her laughter.

"Fine...I'll do it..."Tyson sighed glumly.

"Good...go and get changed into them now!" Ray smiled. Tyson stood up, cursing Ray under his breath.

'Just wait until you choose dare, Ray!' Tyson stormed into the bedroom.

'Haha...I wonder if Kai will notice...' Ray wondered. Minutes later, Tyson came out of the room. Everyone stared at his feet, to see him wearing Kai's black socks.

Max had the urge to laugh like Fern did, but he didn't want to make it to suspicious or Tyson would be caught out. Fern placed her hand over her mouth, laughing in her mind.

'Hehe...he actually did it! Oh god!'

Kenny giggled quietly, as Tyson sat down back onto the rug. From where they were sat, Kai could only see Tyson's head, as the sofas where in the way. He shook his head, thinking they were complete immature idiots.

"Oh, by the way, if Kai does catch you, can I attend your funeral?" Fern joked, quietly. Everyone laughed at her joke, making Kai raise his eyebrows even more.

'What the hell are they doing...?'

Tyson smiled, but scowled at her with his eyes. "Oh, just you wait! It's my turn now right? Fern- truth or dare?"

Fern gave Tyson a cheeky smile. "Dare...Hit me!"

"Alright...lets see...has to be good..."Tyson said, rubbing his palms together, as if he was up to no good.

'Hm...she finds annoying people amusing...heh heh...hmmm...Kai could do with some company.' Tyson pulled Fern an evil glare, and gave her a creepy wide smile.

'Woa...what's he up to?' She felt a little nervous, Tyson was up to something...but was it good or bad?

"I dare you to..."He began, whispering. He gave each of his team mates a grin, then everyone leant forward closer together, so Tyson could tell her what he wanted her to do. "...Go over to Kai and cheer him up- give him a hug!"

Fern blink motionlessly at Tyson's words. Was he serious? A guy like Kai?

"This should be good!" Commented Kenny.

Tyson grinned evilly at Fern- he wanted to see Kai's reaction, even though he knew it would be something like pushing her off him.

"What..but...he's..."Fern was stuck for words, she felt a little nervous. As soon as he had said it, she felt a strange warm feeling bubble up inside her stomach, like she wanted him to say it. She wanted to show Tyson she could do it.

'Right..I'll do it!'

Ray, Max, Tyson and Kenny amusingly watched Fern stand up. For a few seconds she hesitated, and stood and stared at Kai. A feeling, she couldn't understand, warmed up her body, when she imagined herself flinging her arms around Kai. She slowly walked up to him, unsure of how to do this.

_Fern's POV_

_I stood and stared at him...I was enjoying a warm bubbling feeling running through my body, arms, legs, everything. It feels so strange. Like...I feel different around Kai. Like, I couldn't face him. But I am. Right now. I'm standing right near the bed. Right near Kai._

_He's got his eyes closed now..._

_End POV_

_Kai's POV_

_I can feel a warm presence near me. I won't open my eyes. Yet._

_End POV_

Gulping hard, looking back at her giggling team mates, all watching like a bunch of owls, she closed her eyes. She found it easy hugging Tyson..and Max. And the rest. But Kai...it was different. Her heart always speeded up a little, and a part of her dragged her back, telling her not to. Was he the right person to hug at this moment in time?

'I have to do this...why can't I do it? I think I know why...I'm not close enough...'

She lent forward towards Kai, hoping he wouldn't open his eyes. She had to hug him quickly, so he wouldn't push her off.

She slowly lifted her knee onto the bed, so she could rest on it. She suddenly flung her arms up into the air, and brought them down, hanging onto Kai like two lost lovers just being re-united. One of her arms was around his neck, while the other was over his chest. Laughing could be heard from the background, as Kai suddenly jerked in shock, opening his eyes.

She held him tightly, leaning over onto him. Her body pressed against his, she was actually enjoying the warmth off his body. Kai was too shocked to move, he didn't know what hit him

'Ah! Why is she hugging me? Argh..she's holding onto me so tightly...and why is Tyson rolling on the floor laughing!...Hmm...her body feels nice...warm...comfortable...'

Kai felt like punching himself in the face after thinking that- what had gotten into him lately?

Fern still held him tightly, she was enjoying it in a way. Kai's arms were flat on the bed. He wanted to push her away, but he just couldn't...

Fern finally snapped out of it, she suddenly let go of him, as a small red blush crept across her cheeks. She stared at Kai, to see him staring back. He was looking at her softy, gently, although she saw in his eyes that he was shocked..and she was shocked too. Why did she hold onto him for so long?

Tyson's laughter could be heard from behind. Fern spun around, gritting her teeth together at Tyson. He suddenly stopped laughing, when he saw Fern's angry expression. Her face was bright red, looking as if she was about to explode. Her emerald eyes had hate in them. Tyson jumped when she began to run towards him.

"Wait 'till I get you, Tyson!" She screamed, running with her arms out-stretched, and her hands gripping together tightly, as if she was trying to catch the air.

"Woa!" Tyson jumped back in shock, and zoomed off out of the room, followed by an angry Fern.

Tyson's screams could be heard from the corridor, along with hysterical laughter from his team mates.

Kai was still sat on the bed, unsure of what to do next. What had just happened...?


	6. A Night to Remember

**AOD83: Thanks alot to Spirit Of Innocence, SpiritualEnergy, PureBlackRaven, BeckyKai4Eva and HeartlessDevil for reviewing! ) **

**Kenny: I recommend you read De Mei Animus, by Spirit Of Innocence. Brilliant KaiXOC fanfic.**

**AOD83: Yes. READ IT!**

**Fern: Or else.**

**Kai: Or else what?**

**Fern: Tyson will strip.**

**Kai: Right, I'm on it/Rushes off to read De Mei Animus/**

**AOD83: Please read and review chapter 6 :)**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 6- A Night to Remember**

The big pointer hit twelve on Kenny's watch. It was exactly ten O clock. The dark night had started around five, but Fern had stayed longer at the hotel to chat and get to know the Bladebreakers more. The sky was totally black. No moon. No stars. The reason why Fern didn't like clouds. They would block the moon's path, draining any possible light it gave off. The most important thing in the sky to Fern, were the stars. Fern believed they were the most beautiful thing about the sky. Total darkness, full of white and yellow twinkling dots spread out above their heads, making the sky feel magical. A perfect sky, to Fern. But instead, only black clouds were hovering over them, making any magic possible gone.

Fern walked backwards away from the window, after spending some time looking out at the black street. From a distance, she could see a few bright red and green lights, coming from the city center. Casinos, shows and bars were still open, swarmed with people having fun. She suddenly thought that it would be great to go out sometime- when the weather warmed up a little, perhaps. But who would she go out with? The Bladebreakers? But they were much too busy. They had other things to be getting on with.

She turned her head away from the window, as Kenny closed the curtains.

"Guys, I think I better be off home!" Fern said, although she was disappointed to hear herself say it. She didn't want to go back to her boring, dull apartment. She was enjoying it here too much. Tyson, Ray and Max looked at her, with sadness in their eyes. The three of them were sat on a settee, while Kai was sat on another, on his own.

"Aww...I guess it is getting late..."Ray replied. He didn't like the idea of her walking home on her own, so he would have to walk her back.

"Won't you be lonely at your apartment all night? Why not stay for longer?"Max asked.

"Yeah, I hate that apartment, but don't you guys have training tomorrow?" Asked Fern. Her happiness and positive attitude seemed to go all of a sudden. Tyson knew she hated that apartment, the least he could do is offer to meet her tomorrow.

"I'll tell you what, how about I practice with you tomorrow?" Suggested Tyson, peeping up from over the sofa. He rested his elbows on the back of it, while he watched Fern stand lonely near the door.

"Oh, sure! Thanks, Tyson!" Fern said, finally brightening up a little.

Kai rolled his eyes at the two teens blabbering on. Tyson scratched his head, thinking. He looked around the room, and focused his eyes on the double bed. He switched his eyes to the long curtains which stood in the way of the next room. Fern stared at him blankly. 'What's he thinking of now?'

She continued to watch as the blue haired teen rested his elbows on the top of the sofa, while resting his chin in the cup of his hand. He looked very much deep-in thought.

Tyson looked over at Kai, suddenly a thought hitting his head. "I've got it!"

Tyson managed to get everyone to look over at him after his hyperactive tone. Everyone watched him, waiting for him to say something else. Ray raised his eyebrows slightly, when he saw a cunning smile spread across Tyson's face.

"You can stay with us!" Tyson beamed, seeming rather happy and positive about the idea.

"WHAT?" Kai, Fern, Max, Kenny and Ray shouted altogether, wondering if Tyson was thinking straight. Was he serious..?

'Errr...sure, practicing with Fern is fine...but her staying over...' Ray looked around at everyone, puzzled by Tyson's idea.

"Are you serious?" Fern boasted, trying to keep her jaw from falling to the ground.

"Yep. Deadly serious," Tyson smiled at her cunningly.

"But...Tyson...why?" Fern wondered. No one had ever been this nice to her before. She was so grateful. The only time she felt wanted is when her friend took her in, back in England. But..this was different. She hardly new these guys. She had bonded with them alot, but it seemed weird.

"Well, it's better than being stuck in that apartment, right? At least here you'll have someone to talk to. You may as well. Why go back to a lonely, boring apartment when you could stay here in this luxury hotel?"

Ray thought for a second. Maybe Tyson was right. Why go back to her apartment when it would be easier staying here? After all, by the looks of it, it seems Tyson would spend everyday training with her. 'Yes...it would be easier..I guess.'

Max loved the idea. He felt like him and Fern had known each other for years, they had bonded greatly. He grinned suddenly, jumping off the settee in delight. "Yeah! That's great! It makes sense!"

Tyson smiled at Max. He knew he would see sense, knowing it was a good idea. Tyson looked over at Kenny, who was sat on the sofa opposite him. "Kenny?"

Kenny smiled. "Sure, I think it's a great idea!" Everyone turned back to face Fern, to see her still with a shocked expression on her face.

"Guys..."Fern whispered quietly. She felt so wanted. So privileged. She didn't know what to say. He bright eyes began to water a little, with happiness.

'No one has ever been this nice to me...argh...why am I getting all emotional over this?'

She looked over at Kai. He was sat on the sofa, looking very much pissed off. And she knew why. She didn't want him to get pissed off over her.

"Guys..thanks for the offer, but really, I can't..-"Fern was cut off by Tyson. He seemed really keen for her to stay with them.

"No. I DEMAND you to stay!" Joked Tyson. This made Fern smile.

"But where would she sleep?" Questioned Ray.

Tyson thought hard, but quickly about this question. He rubbed his chin with the back of his hand, while sticking out his bottom lip, while he thought. Everyone stared at him, waiting for a reply.

"Kai's bed."

Kai almost choked on his own spit. His eyes widened in surprise, wondering if Tyson had finally lost the plot. He pulled Tyson a skeptical look, raising his eyebrows.

"Wow, Tyson you are funny. You should be a comedian," Kai nervously said, sarcastically. He just didn't believe it. No way. Tyson wouldn't say something like that and mean it..would he?

Everyone else was shocked to, especially Fern. There was total silence in the room, everyone repeating Tyson's suggestion in their head. Even Kenny thought he was hearing things. He tried to let the words sink in, but they just wouldn't. 'Kai's bed..what, that's crazy!'

Fern could feel her stomach twist at the thought of Kai and her sharing a double bed together. She knew that those two words would haunt her for the rest of her life. 'Is Tyson feeling ok?'

"Well thanks, Kai. I try," Tyson smiled, sarcastically. "But I was being serious."

Kai felt more nervous this time. 'Okay, I knew one day Tyson would finally loose it. Well, that day has come...'

A startled cry of laughter made everyone face Max. "Hahahahaha! Tyson! Oh my...Hehe..." Max was hanging off the edge of the sofa, laughing his little heart out.

Tyson glared at the young blonde. "What?" Tyson felt slightly offended.

"Tyson, are you feeling okay?" Ray asked, biting his lower lip. "She could stay, but I'm not sure about sharing a bed with Kai.."

Kai was shell-shocked. Sharing a bed with a girl? For some reason he was more nervous about why Tyson had suggested this than actually sharing a bed with Fern.

"Where else would she sleep? The roof?" Tyson dryly commented.

"It would be better than in my bed!" Kai moaned. He suddenly stood up, punching the chair arm lightly. "The answer is no. She is not sharing a bed with me!"

"Awww...come on Kai, she can sleep at the other end, so you're not facing her, if that makes you happy! I know which side I'd prefer..." Tyson said the last words under his breath, smirking slightly.

Kai stared at Tyson, amazed by his words. "What? I think you're loosing it, Tyson!"

"GUYS! Don't I get a say in this?" Everyone turned to face a very frustrated and confused Fern, who began to walk over to them.

"Of course. You want to stay here, right?" Tyson asked, trying to convince her to stay.

Fern pulled him an unsure look. "Well yeah...but in Kai's bed!" She seemed very much against the idea. But in her head, it was a whole different story. She didn't want to make it seem like she WANTED to share a bed with Kai. But she didn't mind the idea. She felt crazy for thinking it, but she really didn't mind sleeping in the same bed as Kai. He was cute. He seemed ok. Nothing would happen.

Kai was against the idea. She was a girl! Since when did teenage kids sleep in a double bed together? Since Tyson said so? Kai glumly shook his head in complete amusement, actually wondering what it would be like. 'She's not as annoying at Tyson...'

'Woa..wait a sec!' Kai slapped his forehead. 'Where the hell did that come from?' He was annoyed at himself that he actually wondered what it would be like. Getting a little confused by his own thoughts, Kai pulled Tyson a straight and serious look. "NO."

"Please?" Asked Tyson, enjoying tormenting Kai.

"NO!"

"Yes?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Never in a million years!"

"Please?"

"Drop dead."

"Pretty please?"

"Tyson, for the very, very last time. I. AM. NOT. SHARING. MY. BED. WITH. A. GIRL."

Ten minutes later...

'When I get Tyson alone, he won't ever know what food tastes like again once I've finished with him...' Kai silently cursed Tyson under his breath. This was it. Kai had an urge to get out of bed and literally drag Tyson onto the road by his ears and leave him there. He hated Tyson so bad at the minute. Kai squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to let his thoughts focus on who was at the other end of his bed. He rubbed his face into the pillow, listening to Ray and Max snore quietly, trying to get some sleep himself. The room was pretty dark, but he could make everything out. Especially who was in bed with him.

He felt something kick him lightly, to his surprise, he jumped a little. He felt very nervous, being in bed with a girl. Especially someone like Fern. She had a nice, soft scent, and her presence was very attractive. Whenever he was around her, he felt warm, confident. Weird.

'Urgh...how did I let Tyson convince me into this?'

At the main end of the bed where the head board was, Fern was laid down very uncomfortably. She twiddled her thumbs under the sheets, bored, as she couldn't get to sleep. And she knew why. She was petrified she would end up talking in her sleep, like she usually did. She thought about all the times she had creeped out her friend who she stayed with in England. Orla. The first time she ever slept at her house, she was freaked out by Fern's constant talking in her sleep. She got used to it eventually though, in time. She just hoped these guys would get used to it too.

She could feel the slight tension between the two. She knew Kai was awake, she kept accidently kicking him, and she felt his feet jerk when she did so. The almost silent snoring coming from Ray and Max in the next bed made her think about something else other than Orla and Kai. Her old team mates. The Dark Stars. Her old team. Her old friends. Her past...

She missed them dearly. Sometimes she cried herself to sleep at night, thinking about them. She missed them more than anyone could ever possibly imagine. She loved them all so much. Fern found herself thinking about the team captain, Zack. She could remember him clearly. His dark, brown hair with black lines highlighted over the brown. His midnight black eyes. His perfect smile...everyday he would always tell Fern he had faith in her. Like no one had ever done before. They were like her family. That's until, her mother took away any happiness she had with them. She was forced to move away from him. Just thinking about it made her teary-eyed. 'At least Orla was there for me...'

She began to think about the many memories they had together. As a group. The first time she met them. She had met Raine, the other female of the group, when she was only five years old. She pictured Raine's always-happy face. She was very laid-back, always thought about the present, never the future or past. She could picture Raine's long, dark ginger hair, with that black pointy front fringe. The two of them had grew up in Japan together, spending each and every day hanging out together. They had the odd one or two arguments, but she knew why. Her friendship was so strong with Raine. A stronger relationship than she had with her mother. Her mother hardly spoke to her. She loved her, she knew that much. But she was always busy. Busy with her work, too busy to even take Fern to school every morning. She didn't even know what her mother did as a living...what was her job?

So many unanswered questions. It made Fern cringe with anger. How could her mother do this to her? She always was second best. That's how she felt, compared to her mother's stupid boyfriend, which was the reason why they moved to England...'Or was it..'

Fern's memory became more and more in-depth. She could even remember when she first started blading, and that's when the Dark Stars were formed. Zack, herself and Raine used to train together, every night after school. They had heard about an upcoming Japanese tournament, but they needed a fourth blader. That's when they met Taro. The boy who made their team alive. He was very hyperactive, great fun to be around. His gorgeous dark green locks matched his dark green eyes- he was very unique, Fern had never seen anyone else like him. So full of life, loved life to the full. He always cheered her up when she down, like her own personal agony aunt. But then all that changed. As selfish as her mother was, she made Fern move away, turning her back on her team mates. She felt betrayed by her own mother. She even felt guilty for leaving them, she only blamed herself. She knew she shouldn't, but she did. And that was her weakness. She fell apart in England, with no one to talk to. As the memories came flooding back, she felt slightly angry, and upset. She punched her pillow angrily, earning a quick glance from Kai.

He pulled her a soft look, to her surprise. He could see she was tense, upset. She had tears in those emerald eyes of hers. Any sign of happiness was gone. Kai had never seen her like this before. Why was she like this?

Kai sat up, examining her from the other end of the bed. She felt stupid, letting him see her cry like this. She wiped her eyes steadily, trying not to look at him to avoid any questioning from him.

Kai looked at her curiously. 'What's up with her?'

Fern sat up in bed too, as they both exchanged glances at each other. He wasn't sure why, but as he looked into her eyes...he felt sad...Previously she seemed so lively and bubbly, but now all of that was gone. She looked weak, tired, and was crying. She was sad, Kai knew it. But he couldn't understand why he felt sad for her. He felt sorry for her. He never normally did. And it wasn't helping that he was sharing a bed with her, he felt insecure. He didn't know what to do or say, but he continued to look her in the eyes with a friendly look.

She stared back at him. His face was shadowed by the darkness, with only a little light hitting him.

He literally forced words out of his mouth. "Fern?" He whispered quietly, while glancing over at the sleeping Ray and Max. He was making sure they were asleep before he confronted her- and Tyson and Kenny wouldn't be a problem, they were in the next room sleeping soundly.

_Kai's POV_

_I...looked into her eyes, to see all of that bright, bubbly energy drain away, like it was the end of the world. It was replaced with hate, fear...and tears._

_I felt sorry for her. I wanted to comfort her. But why? Why did I? I never usually want to comfort people. Or see if they are okay. This girl...I see her different to everyone else. Only minutes ago we were both lying down, trying to sleep. Minutes before that, Tyson had somehow persuaded me to let her sleep in my bed...MY BED! My double bed...with me...I don't understand, how did I give in so easily?_

_Well, I let her have the head board. I turned around to the other end, but I still feel very nervous._

_Now, ten minutes on, and I'm still awake. Ray and Max must of been shattered from today...but they hardly did anything...I guess Fern is quite the "lively" sort..._

_I'm staring at her right now. I feel sad. It makes me feel sad to see her sad...NO! I'm not sad! Why should I feel sad over a girl!_

_End POV_

"Kai..."Fern quietly whispered Kai's name back. Her voice was different when she was upset. It seemed life-less, dry and squeaky. Her eyes flashed with emotion, as Kai watched her settle down under the covers. She pulled the duvet over her head, a little embarrassed Kai had seen her this way.

"Fern...why are you crying?" Kai asked, sounding concerned. He wanted to know. He was interested to know. The only thing he couldn't understand, is why.

He watched her as she slowly peeped over the edge of the duvet, her bright eyes sparkling into his...

'I may as well tell him. He might think I'm stupid if he thinks I am crying for no reason. Well, watch out Kai! There's a reason alright...'

Fern sat up and faced Kai once again, and began with her story. She explained about her mother, her team, everything she had thought about that night. Kai listened to her quiet voice go on, repeating all of the details as he received them in his head. Fern explained in greater detail to when she first met Kai, that night in the alley. She expressed her feelings to him, explaining to him how she felt about her past.

After the long full summary of her life, she watched Kai's face turn back into that cold expression he always wore. No doubt about it, Kai was shocked. But he held back his emotions, he didn't want to show her any emotion at all. He thought it was weak. He felt his heart speed up a little, after the story.

'...Sounds like a rough time she had there. Poor girl...' He felt bad for her. He knew no one deserved that. But all he replied to her was a simple, "Hn."

Fern was a little surprised- he seemed to keen to know why she was crying, but when she told him, he didn't seem so bothered!

After a small silence, Kai finally spoke up. "Sorry to hear that. I've had a bit of a past myself."

Fern brightened up a little. The lone phoenix actually felt sorry for her! That cold-hearted guy she had only knew for about three days, actually talked to her!

"I have time," Fern hinted, trying to get his past story out of him. To her surprise, he shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it," Kai said coldly, while lying back down on his back. Fern stared at him for a few seconds, a little confused.

"Why would he mention his past if he didn't want to talk about it? Well, I've certainly never seen this side to Kai!" Fern finally laid down, and stared at the wall for at least ten more minutes, until she got bored. She wasn't tired, her eyes were restless. She was finally getting used to the dark, and she could spot random furniture in the room. She glanced over at Ray and Max, sleeping like babies. She smiled to herself, suddenly feeling a little more happy. She had made some great new friends- just looking at them asleep made her happy.

She glanced over at the closed curtains in the doorway which led to the main room. Tyson and Kenny were sleeping in there. She suddenly hoped that they hadn't listened to Fern's life story. She already trusted Tyson, but she didn't think he would understand what she had been through, like Kai. Why did she even tell Kai? She wondered to herself, gently making her feet dance around underneath the bed sheets. Kai could feel her feet squash against the mattress, which made his legs bounce about a little. He rolled his eyes in annoyance, hoping she would stop some time soon.

Fern heard Kai grunt slightly. It sounded like an angry grunt...'Kai's still awake? I wonder what hes been thinking about the last ten or something minutes? I know! I'll ask him!' She seemed quite interested to what he was thinking about.

"What are you thinking about?" Asked Fern suddenly, her croaky voice startled Kai a little when he heard her. He heard her then cough slightly, trying to wipe out her croaked-up voice from her cold.

"Nothing that concerns you," Kai quietly said. Usually he would just reply with a "Hn" if it was Tyson who had asked that question. With Fern, he seemed more determined to talk to her.

"You know, I've never met anyone like you before!" Fern smiled, as both teens were still laid down in the bed.

Kai smirked slightly at her comment. This time he could smile, she couldn't see him smile in the dark. "And what is your definition of 'people like me'?"

"Well..."Fern started, thinking about her answer carefully. "Someone very careful about their way of words. They seem to be very distant, very unsure about things. Perhaps a little over-defensive. Someone..."

Kai cut her off, knowing she was going to start of with another essay. "Someone...who's heartless?" Kai tried to finish her sentence. To his surprise, she sat up in the bed, and placed her arms stretched out over the bed.

"NO!" Fern cried, shaking her head. "Everyone has a heart!"

Kai listened to her words carefully. 'Everyone has a heart...?'

She smiled at him, she could clearly see her words had made an impression on him. "I don't think you're a loser. Or a total loner. People may see you as a loner, but I think you just like to spend time alone. Everyone has to be alone sometimes. Like you, in particular, have to be alone more often than anyone else."

Kai sat up in bed with a start. Her words sunk into him hard. He stared up at the female wolf, to see her smiling at him. He hadn't seen that grin before. It was different. Her eyes were sad, but her grin looked...happy...can people do that? Have two different emotions spread across their faces without realizing it?

He didn't want to show her how surprised he was by her wise words. "Hn. Whatever."

"Is that a 'Whatever, I agree' or a 'Whatever, I don't agree?'" Asked Fern, curious to find out his answer.

Kai felt him half-smile at her. It quickly disappeared though, when he noticed that her eyes were starting to fill with happiness again. "It's a whatever, shut up and let me go to sleep!"

He felt a little mean saying it, but he knew she wouldn't take it seriously. She wasn't like that, or so it seemed.

Fern smiled at his words. "Okay Kai. Night!"

The two of them settled down in bed, and enjoyed a long five minute silence...

"Kai?" Once again Fern's voice interrupted Kai's chances to fall asleep.

"What?" he asked, a little annoyed. But he wanted to know what she wanted.

"Are you asleep yet?"

Kai blinked blankly to himself at the question. "WHA-..How can I be asleep if I replied to you?"

"I dunno..."Fern replied playfully. "You could of been sleep talking."

Kai was loosing his patience with this girl already. He found her rather amusing, but he felt he had to act the same with her like he acted with everyone else.

"Fern..." Kai moaned quietly.

"Yes roomie?" Fern asked, curiously. "Or should I say, beddie?"

"Shut up...and go to sleep." Kai ordered.

Five minutes later...

"Argh!" Kai cried quietly, when he felt something rub against his leg roughly.

"Sorry!" Fern squeaked, pulling her legs up so she avoided kicking Kai.

Kai rubbed the sweat from his forehead. 'Damn it's hot tonight...'

Dranzer suddenly spoke in Kai's mind. 'No it's not. It's Winter, master Kai. I think you're a little nervous.'

Kai jerked slightly after hearing the phoenix say this. 'No way. Why would I be nervous?'

'Because you're sharing a bed with a girl.' The bird replied.

'Good point...' Kai was almost caught off guard, and agreed with Dranzer. He soon snapped out of it though. He shook his head in annoyance. 'NO! No, Dranzer. It's not that at all.'

'I don't agree.'

'What?' Kai was getting a little frustrated at this now. He tried to convince himself he didn't like this girl. 'I don't like Fern!'

'I never said you did.' And with that, Dranzer left Kai to work it out himself.

Kai stretched his arms above his head. He tilted his head so he faced the bathroom door, trying to get comfortable. He laid there for a few minutes, staring at almost complete darkness.

His dark red eyes were begging for closure. He just didn't feel tired though. Every time he closed his eyes, they only flung back open again. 'Hn...Sleep, Kai, SLEEP! You have to get up early tomorrow...' Kai began to talk to himself in first person. 'I'll demand myself to sleep...SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP !'

It wasn't working. Even a captain can have a rough time sleeping. He suddenly wondered whether Fern was asleep. She hadn't spoke for over five minutes, to his surprise. He suddenly felt kind of lonely without her awake.

"Mmmm...the cushion is soft..like play dough..."

Kai raised one eyebrow when he heard a croaky voice talk about...play dough? He sat up, and glanced down the bed at Fern. She was asleep alright. He could hear her soft breathing coming from her mouth. 'She's talking in her sleep...'

Kai laid back down, rather amused by Fern sleep talking. He smiled slightly, but soon wiped it away and replaced it with the same old frown. 'Urgh! Why do I keep smiling when I think about her? It's like my mouth is controlling me, I don't want to smile at pointless things! But I can't help it'

"The Power Rangers...stink."

'What the f...' Kai raised both his eyebrows this time. He scratched his head, totally amazed by Fern's randomness. He pulled himself a skeptical look.

'What next..' Kai wondered, as another smile crept onto his face. He found Fern's sleep talking quite funny...

A few minutes on, Kai hear Fern's sweet, croaky voice again...

"Kai...stop it with the flying pajamas..they get on my ass!"

Kai felt his heart suddenly speed up at Fern's words. 'What the hell is she thinking about?'

He was now felt a little scared about what she would say next. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to get some sleep. He regretted feeling amused by her sleep talking, he had a feeling this was going to back fire. Badly.

After several minutes of trying to get to sleep, he felt Fern's feet dig into his stomach. He let out a soft cry, as she began to kick him repeatedly in his abs. He quickly rolled over, trying to avoid her.

Kai laid in bed, sweating like mad. Maybe Dranzer was right..maybe Kai was nervous about this girl. He kept repeating Dranzer's words in his head...

_'Because you're sharing a bed with a girl.'_

'Yeah...maybe she's right..' Kai sweatdropped to himself, feeling a little tense.

"Watch the swimming fishies Kai..watch the fish..they are fish..and they swim..like fish..."

"What the hell!" Kai shouted out loud, before he could stop himself. He slapped his hand over his mouth, stopping himself from shouting out any more comments. 'What is this girl on?'

Kai shook his head in amusement. All of a sudden Fern rolled over, sprawling out over Kai's body. Kai was laid on his back, suddenly jerking roughly as she stayed there. She was laid on top of Kai, her stomach on top of his shaking legs. Her feet were right up to his face, but they didn't smell bad. They smelt kind of...flowery...

Roughly shaking his head trying to wipe away the thoughts of Fern's feet, he focused his thoughts on Fern, who was still lying on top of him!

Sweat started to run down his legs and face. He was too scared to move, he didn't dare to even blink. Her knees were pressed down in between his legs, he was scared she would suddenly elbow him 'down there.'

Constant sweat dripped down his vest, as he squeezed the duvet, only hoping for a miracle to happen. 'WHY ME WHY ME WHY ME!'

That was it. He had to take action. Kai carefully tugged his legs out from underneath Fern's stomach, gasping and breathing heavily as he did so. It was as if her stomach was glued to his legs- he had a hard time pulling them away from her. He didn't want to wake her. She shuffled over slightly when he began to save his legs from her, then he began to grip onto the mattress cover tightly, as he forced his legs upwards. He constantly squeezed his eyes shut, silently preying for this girl to get off him!

"Stop it and watch the fish!"

Kai suddenly lost grip of the bed covers, and his legs slid back under neath Fern, much to his dislike. 'Dammit, can't she just keep quiet! I can't concentrate!'

Trying to catch his breath, Kai gave it another go. He slowly gripped onto the covers, and pulled his legs upwards. He could feel himself speeding up the more he succeeded- and finally he managed to pull his legs away from Fern, and the rest of his body too. He sat on his back side with his legs close to his body. He rested his chin on his knees, sighing with relief.

His heart was thumping wildly inside his body. His legs had turned to jelly, and his fingers were tingling. He stared back at the girl, too scared to even attempt to get to sleep in that bed with her now.

He had gotten all hot and bothered over this, like any other guy would. But not usually Kai. He would of usually just pushed her off him if it was any other girl..but every time he tried to push Fern off him, he failed to. He just couldn't do it...she looked so peaceful while she was sleeping, even if she was a pest..and he didn't want to hurt her...

'I know who I will hurt though...TYSON!' Kai silently cursed Tyson. It was Tyson's idea in the first place for Fern to sleep in Kai's bed, so he couldn't exactly blame Fern for this "restless" night...


	7. A Change of Heart

**Tyson: Thanks for the reviews everyone/hugs/**

**AOD83: Hey! ¬.¬' That's my line! Anyway, sorry the update took so long, my computer was playing up. I had to end up re-starting it all, so I lost EVERYTHING. I lost my plan for this story. And I was very pissed off. So expect chapter 8 to be up no later than in two weeks time, 'cos I have to write up my plan again...¬.¬'**

**Kai: Should we just get on with the story?**

**AOD83: One more thing! My apologies if this chapter seems a bit crappy. 8 will be better, I promise!**

**Fern: Yeah! Please REVIEW!**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 7- A Change of Heart**

_Ray's POV_

_I felt the sudden light rub against my closed eye lids. Max must have opened the curtains._

_I kept my eyes closed, trying to get used to the light. It seemed pretty strong, but it felt chilly. I don't think the sun was out. Maybe it's been snowing. I don't know._

_Suddenly I felt something jump onto my bed and land on my legs, it felt awful. Like my bones had cracked. _

_I flung open my eyes in shock..._

_End POV_

Ray flipped open his eyes at the sudden heavy weight that squashed his legs. A sudden flash of light stung his tired eyes. He squinted his eyes slightly, trying to make out the face that was sat at the end of the double bed. Ray held his hand over his temple, trying to dispose of the light, coming from the window which was exactly opposite him.

A familiar cheerful face smiled at him cheekily, watching him rub his dreary eyes. Ray wriggled his feet around, but was having a hard time trying to sit up. There seemed to be something holding his legs down.

Glancing up at the happy face, Ray smiled when he realized who it was. Fern.

Her red locks reflected off the window, and her bright cheeks warmed up Ray to see her sweet face as soon as he woke up. He wasn't so sure he wanted to be sat on though, but it was worth seeing Fern looking happy. She deserved to be happy after her hard life.

The two smiled at each other for a few seconds. Fern was sat crossed-legged on top of his knees, trying to keep her balance so she didn't suddenly topple off. Ray slowly used his elbows to push his upper body up, and made them rest on the mattress. He looked over to the right side of the bed. It was empty. Max must of already been up.

"Hey Ray! Look out of the window!" Fern said excitedly, and immediately rolled backwards off the bed and rushed to the window. The weight lifted off his legs, making Ray pull his legs towards him to avoid her sitting on them again. He felt curious to what Fern wanted, so he stepped out of bed, while giving his arms a stretch straight into the air. He was wearing stripy white and blue pajamas, loosely fastened together by buttons. He had nothing on his feet, so naturally, he could feel the cold stab him in the feet.

He suddenly realized, it was very cold. Colder than yesterday morning. He felt like getting back into bed again and curling up, but he resisted. Perhaps it had been snowing.

He stumbled towards the window, where Fern was looking out of, excitedly. He rested his arms on the windowsill, staring out of the window at what Fern was so excited about.

"Wow."

Thick, white snow covered the street. You could no longer see the old stone, grey pavements, they had been replaced with frosty, lumpy snow. Ray could see the small footprints below where people had been walking in it. The tops of the sky-scrapers looked as if they had white roofs, as they stood underneath the pale grey sky. The sky itself looked like it was full of snow, with the pale color and frosty air. It made the scenery more magical. The windowsills of the buildings had snow resting against them, as did the car roofs. Constant laughing of playing children could be heard through out the area, making Ray crack a smile on his face. It was beautiful.

Although, he could really feel the sharp cold air hit him like a knife, stood near the window. He glanced across at Fern. He didn't have to look down too far, unlike with Kenny. She was almost as tall as him. Fern was smiling heavily, still looking out at the snowy atmosphere. She was wearing her usual clothes- black top, straps, long, black baggy trousers. She even had her hair the same. Long, dark brown locks dangling down over her chest, while her bright red top half stayed neat and bouncy as always.

"It's going to be fun to train in this!" Fern smiled, still with her eyes focused on the window.

Ray twitched slightly. "Oh- yeah! The practice! I better get breakfast ready! Is Tyson up yet?"

This time Fern looked at him. "Don't worry! I made breakfast for everyone!" Fern smirked, watching Ray's face turn as red as her hair. "Hehe, don't worry, I made you some too! Max and Kenny have eaten theres already. And no, Tyson isn't up yet. Kai's in the bathroom. Hmmm...Kai has been in there for like, ten minutes..."

Ray laughed. "Aha. He'll be putting on his face paint. Nothing to worry about." Ray looked around, making sure no-one was listening. He leant forward, lowering his voice. "I think he's a little vain."

"Oh? You think?" Fern replied sarcastically.

Ray smiled. "Well, how about that breakfast?"

"Sure! Come with me! And if Tyson doesn't get up by half past, I'll eat his myself!" Fern said, as she walked through the long curtains and into the main room, followed by Ray.

Tyson was still in bed, much to Fern's annoyance. He had promised he would train her today, that was the whole point of her staying over..wasn't it?

She stood at the end of the bed, with her two hands placed on her hips, pulling Tyson an annoyed look. Max and Kenny watched as Fern began to tug at the duvet cover, resulting in getting kicked by Tyson.

"Urgh! He was meant to be up ages ago!" Fern snarled, sounding annoyed. Ray grabbed himself a plate of fresh salad which Fern had prepared. He sat down at the table, while watching Fern try to get Tyson out of bed.

"TYSON!" Fern screamed, pulling Tyson's foot towards herself. She tried to pull him out of bed, but he seemed to just simply grip the mattress. She sighed miserably, throwing her hands on her temple. Annoyed, she suddenly had an urge to use the bathroom...desperately. She felt drained after all of the food preparations this morning, as a treat for the Bladebreakers. And Max and Kenny had hogged the bathroom for ages this morning, and then Kai managed to beat her to it.

Literally running to the bathroom, through the bedroom, she stopped at the bathroom door. She held onto the handle, about to open it. 'AH WAIT- Kai's in there! Noooo! I need to go!'

Fern crossed her legs together, trying her best to hold it in. She steadily knocked on the door. "Kai? Hurry up!"

No answer.

"KAI?"

No answer again. Was he ignoring her? She just needed to use the toilet. He was only putting on face paint, how long did it take? Not willing to wait any longer, Fern opened the bathroom door, still squeezing her legs together.

_Kai's POV_

_I was just finishing off painting my last lower triangle on my face. I heard Fern shout, telling me to hurry up._

_No one tells me to hurry up._

_She called again, she must really need the toilet. So I speeded up a little...then the door suddenly swung open...FERN? What was she doing? I saw her reflection in the mirror. I could of been on the toilet! I was that shocked I messed up my triangle! It's all smudged on my face now! Argh! I can't let Fern see me like this! _

_End POV_

Kai was stood over the pale blue sink, with his back faced to Fern. Kai turned his head around a little, to see what she was doing. He turned straight back to the mirror again though, and placed his hand across his blue smudge on his face.

Her eyes were glued on him. She had even forgotten why she wanted to come into the bathroom in the first place, as her thoughts once again trailed away to Kai. He seemed so cold, yet he liked to look good. With his blue war paint, strong muscles, good body. He seemed so...unreal. Something Fern couldn't quite put her finger on.

She began to walk on the tiled, blue floor. Her soft, pink socks made the floor extra slippy, so she decided to use the wall to make her way over to Kai. She didn't want to suddenly slip over on the smooth tiles and look stupid in front of him. She didn't want to risk falling over. Fern sort of wanted to make an impression on him. She wanted to see him have fun and be happy, and if anyone was going to show him how, she was going to try and do it.

Kai glanced in the mirror, seeing Fern getting closer towards him. 'Why is she holding onto the wall...?'

He still had his smudge covered. Kai quickly ran his hand under the tap, and rubbed his face roughly. He lifted his hand up, to see the mark was still there! He felt his heart race faster and faster, as Fern came further towards him. He was staring at her in the mirror. He quickly tried to change his eye direction, and began to watch the shower instead in the mirror instead of watching her.

The bathroom was fairly big- it had a built-in shower and bath, a large vanity table and a wealthy-looking toilet. The whole room was pale blue, the only thing that stood out was the yellow shower curtain. The small bathroom window which stood next to Kai looked as if it had been dipped in snow- white flakes covered the glass, almost making the window freeze with the bearable cold. The room wasn't that cold though- there was a radiator attached to the wall, on full blast. Fern could feel it let off a boiling heat, as she trailed past it. She walked steadily around to Kai's right side, where his hand was placed on his cheek. She wondered why it was there, was he thinking? Or perhaps hiding something?

Kai looked down nervously at her, still with that side of his face covered. Fern giggled slightly. "Why are you covering your face?"

Kai stared down at her blankly. She noticed him blush slightly, he WAS hiding something. Fern grabbed hold of Kai's lower arm, and tugged at it. "Come on Kai! What are you hiding!"

Kai fought back, trying to keep his hand in place. "Nothing! Get out, leave me alone Fern!"

"Kai! Let go!" Fern cried curiously.

'It's just a stupid smudge! Why am I getting so bothered about it? I wish she'd stop that tugging, I'm loosing my grip! Stupid girl...' Before Kai knew it, Fern had already managed to pull away Kai's hand from his face without him knowing. He was too busy cursing her in his head.

Fern stood back and stared at the long, blue soggy mark on Kai's face. It was dripping off his chin, like he was bleeding blue blood! Kai glanced in the mirror. Blue paint crawled down his face, finally realizing Fern had won the little fight. He felt very stupid, letting Fern see him with paint dribbling down his cheek. He felt yet another small pale blush spread across his cheeks, but it soon disappeared when he heard Fern laughing.

"Hehe..is that what your bothered about? Don't worry- I don't care!" Fern smiled, grabbing a green flannel from the side of the sink. "Here, let me help!"

Suddenly Kai felt a thrush of wet soggy flannel rub against his skin. 'What's she doing?' Kai quickly moved his head backwards, staring open-mouthed at the girl. She just simply smiled at him.

"Kai! Hold still or I won't be able to clean it for you!" Fern said, leaning in to clean off the paint again.

This time, she gently slid the flannel smoothly over the smudge gently, trying not to rub too hard or she'd burn his skin. Kai felt that same warm presence fill in his stomach. He wasn't sure what to do, he didn't want to push her away and tell her to back off. She seemed to want to help him. Like she cared for him.

"Hn..I wish she'd get off me...feels nice...warm...? No! It doesn't! She's a girl! Wiping up my mess! On my face! This isn't right! Is it...But..I can't stop her...it's so comforting. It's like..once you get into blading. You can't stop. It becomes a hobby. A job even. This is the exact seem feeling. I don't want this feeling to stop..but why...'

Fern smiled at him as she concentrated hard on getting the smudge off his skin. Rubbing a guy's face wasn't exactly ideal, but it seemed to keep her mind off things. She actually enjoyed it. A small blush boiled over her face...What was she thinking? Enjoying it? She knew she always had quite a soft spot for Kai since the first time they trained together, but she didn't expect it to be taken this far...like rubbing his face with a flannel?

Kai noticed Fern's eye sometimes keep off track, and wander over at him. He simply rolled his eyes, trying to make it seem like he wasn't bothered and he didn't really want her to be doing this. But he did. A feeling he couldn't understand.

The warm feeling inside Kai's stomach suddenly disappeared, as Fern slowly took away the flannel, and examined his clean face. "There!" She smiled proudly, examining her work. "Much better!" She flung the flannel back over the sink.

"Hn." Kai turned his back to Fern. She smiled, she figured it meant 'thanks.'

He turned back to the mirror, and began mixing his face paint with less water this time, so it didn't drip down his face like it did last time. The red head continued to watch Kai put on his paint, keeping up a daft smile on her face. She stood with her hands behind her back, watching Kai like an owl. Kai took one second to quickly glance down at her. She made him bubble up inside when he saw her staring at him, with that daft look on her face, like a dog begging for walkies. He raised both of his eyebrows.

'Is she still here?' Kai felt a little uneasy that she was stood watching him- it was a little off-putting. He felt like he was going to slip again. Then she'd just want to rub it off with the flannel again.

Kai wasn't enjoying the silence, so he decided to start a conversation- even though he didn't feel like talking. Anything to avoid this dreadful silence. "So...is Tyson up?"

"Nope..." Fern sighed.

Kai shook his head in annoyance that Tyson wasn't up yet. He scowled to himself. Not only was Tyson meant to be up ages ago, but he had promised to practice with Fern. Going back on his word would be just pathetic. 'Pathetic...' Kai raised his eyebrows at his own thoughts. He was saying and thinking alot of things lately which even he didn't understand. He seemed unsure to why, and what his feelings were at the moment. But he knew one thing. Since Fern came into his life, he had changed. He felt softer around her. He almost smudged his face paint again on his face, at the thoughts. He roughly wiped away his current thoughts and told himself nothing's changed. Nothing had changed, apart from Fern sort of joining the group. 'Nothing's changed...'

He suddenly felt rather sorry for Fern. She seemed to excited about this training, and Tyson had let her down by sleeping in. "I'll practice with you today."

Without thinking, his thoughts slipped out of his mind and came out of his mouth. Even Fern couldn't believe it. 'Did he just...-'

Kai realized what he had just said. 'Wait..what's wrong with me? Why-...Never mind..' He saw Fern was shocked by his words too. This was Kai Hiwatari, a cold and mysterious teenager offering to help her train. Even she couldn't understand it. 'I guess miracles can happen..'

"You mean that?" Fern cried happily, watching Kai's jaw drop slowly at his own words.

'I just...couldn't help it. I was thinking about it, and before I knew it I was saying it! How can this be..but I can't go back on my word now..her face..it brightened up when I suggested it. She has had a rough time..I guess a few hours won't hurt...'

"I said what I meant. But you had better not waste my time. You better be ready!" Kai said coldly.

"Yes! I am ready!" Fern beamed. She was so happy, she even gave Kai a quick hug before leaving the bathroom. He felt insecure, he tried to push her away. But he got used to her body warmth, he just had to live this feeling. It was good.

Fern let go, and began to head towards the bathroom door, as Kai watched softly. She stopped before she exited the room, and turned her head around slightly so she could look at Kai. "Thanks Kai! I'll be waiting out here for you!"

Kai watched the girl happily skip out of the room, pulling the door shut as she went out. He watched the same spot where she once stood..when he said those words...He couldn't understand it. He didn't realize that unanswered questions and confusion were so frustrating.

'You'll find out the answers soon, Kai..' Dranzer sniggered quietly in Kai's head.


	8. Spread Some Love

**AOD83: Oh My God, been a while hasn't it?**

**Tyson: Not that I missed you.**

**Fern: Awwww I did ! hugs**

**AOD83: Okay... well you don't know how TERRIBLY TERRIBLY SORRY I AM! breathes deeply I'm so stoopid! punches self I've been reallllyyyyyy busy lately, and when I say busy, I mean life-threatening business! Well, maybe not that far, but I didn't have much time for my computer or anything. But I passed my exams:D However, sadly, they were only mock :( So I have to go through them again in May. Sucks, huh? But Oh well, I'll be posting the next few chapters soon!**

**Kai: I missed all my cute lil' reviewers hugs everyone**

**AOD83: ... Oo Woaaaaa I didn't see that one coming! ... I didn't have alot of time to write this chapter, so I did the best I could! Sorry if its crap, short, or whatever. In fact, later, I'll update this chapter a little, make it better, put better detail in it when I have time... Gawd I hate time. So much of it, but you just can't seem to fit everything in. Sigh. Anywho, let's get on with it, people! **

* * *

**Dance Like No One's Watching**

* * *

**Chapter 8- Spread Some Love**

_Flashback_

_"Hey Ray... as seen as Tyson isn't up yet, how about me and Kai head off now and meet you guys at the hills? Just so Kai doesn't loose out on any training, if you get me," Fern smiled continuously at Ray, trying to hide the fact that she was lying. The real reason of them two going to train together was because Kai offered- but she knew Kai was very sensitive, perhaps even shy at times. She didn't want to rub a black mark in his book, and admit Kai could in fact be turning soft. She knew he was one to hide his feelings, perhaps he was scared to seem like a bit of a softy?_

_Fern followed Ray's golden eyes, as he stared blankly at her, then glanced around at his teammates to confirm. He slowly nodded at her, pulling his usual concerned look at her. She could tell he wasn't so keen on the idea._

_"Uhh... sure, Fern. We'll be there as soon as Tyson manages to get out of bed," Ray sighed, pulling Fern a convincing smile. _

_Kai suddenly slipped out from the bedroom, with his arms folded over his chest and his head down. Everyone in the room stared as Kai walked past, heading towards the door leading out into the corridor._

_Fern raised her eyebrow slightly. 'Oh, real convincing Kai! Put you head up, smile, and pretend you just don't care! ... Hmmm ... I wish he could of heard me say that right about now...' Fern felt like slapping herself silly.. she always said her good and clever lines either in her head, or when no-ones around. Sighing bluntly, she took one last glance around the room, pulling Ray, Max and Kenny smiles, only receiving half of one back. She glanced over at the snoring Tyson, still snug in bed like he was under some sort of sleeping spell._

_Fern gently placed her hand up in the air and gave everyone a little wave, before following Kai out of the room, leaving a very stunned cast of bladers staring endlessly at Fern and Kai as they left the room._

_"... Breakfast, anyone?" Ray randomly broke the irritating silence._

_End Flashback_

'Why... did she do that?' The blue-haired phoenix questioned himself. Kai was sat on top of the chilly hill, watching over at the almost-frozen sea. The grass was hard and blue, it was almost impossible to sit in one place while your backside was getting sharp, cold icicles stuck in it. It didn't bother Kai, though, he had plenty of other things on his mind.

They had reached the hills just under an hour ago; And had trained for a short amount of time, just to get warmed up a little. For some reason Kai couldn't quite understand why Fern literally begged him for a short 10 minute break so she could go off and think on her own. That girl was mysterious in many ways, it seemed her whole life was one big secret. She was strange- even Kai couldn't deny that. She had a certain scent to her, too. Like a fresh, flowery smell which never went away. Kai guessed she must just spend alot of time outside, that she picked up the natural scent of nature. But... there was something else.

'She saved me from a bit of embarrassment, I guess. If those guys found out I offered to train her... they'd only take the piss. Hn... I could of handled them. But she lied and saved me the trouble. Why...?'

Just thinking about it made Kai weak at the knees. There was something very.. peculiar about her. "Urgh..." Kai let out a soft moan, confused and annoyed about her. She was just one of those people who you can't question, because you'll never get the answer your looking for. 'I don't even know what to ask her.'

"HEY KAI!" The loud, welcoming scream made Kai almost jump from where he was sat. He felt a soft hand being placed on his shoulder. That same, flowery scent perfumed his thoughts again. It wasn't just a smell, but it made him picture Fern in his head.

Kai peeped over his shoulder, knowing it was Fern, he didn't smile at her, just gave her a soft frown. "Where have you been?"

He saw that Fern was hesitating at the question. He could see she was going to lie. "Ummm just around. I needed the toilet, so I went in a bush okay?" Fern sang happily, to Kai's confusion.

'What the...' Kai stood up and faced Fern, totally ignoring the chill that ran down his back. "You really don't have any shame, do you?"

"Haha...I guess not." Fern smirked at Kai, placing her hands on her hips. The two of them watched each other, examining each other's faces. Kai could see a twinkle in her eyes, of hyperness... happiness...love.. and loss. He felt he could read her, but through her eyes. Whenever she was sad, her eyes would still shine, but loose the twinkle. He didn't like it when she lost it, her eyes didn't glow as much. Like something very important was missing from them.

'Wai...Wha?' Kai snapped out of the 'scary' thought of her eyes, suddenly thinking about what she had said earlier about her toilet business. He felt a smile tug onto his face after a fight. He just couldn't help it. 'She's crazy...'

Why would anyone go to the toilet in the cold? Somehow, he knew she was kidding about it. But the thought, made him smile. Fern's smile grew, and eventually she began to giggle, into a loud laughter like there was no tomorrow.

"Hahahaaa... Kai, you know what this means?" She smirked, grabbing his wrist.

Kai hesitated, and widened his eyes in shock. "Uh... what?"

"YOU SMILED! I MADE YOU SMILE!" Fern screamed, pulling Kai towards her. He just let her, drag him into her world. Fern saw the nervous look on Kai's face- his mouth was open slightly, revealing his cute tongue and nice set of teeth. His cheeks were red, despite it being bloody freezing! His crimson eyes shone through the light falling snow.

"Hey," Fern smiled, trying to make him relaxed. I wanna show you something..." Fern cheekily smiled at Kai, pulling him down the slippy, icey hill. Kai couldn't stop her. She had grabbed him tightly, but there was something else. He didn't want her to let go. He just couldn't pull himself to wriggle away and be free from her, instead without saying a word, he let Fern take lead, as she began to run through the cold hills, now running.

_Kai's POV_

_I dunno what to do._

_Urgh! She just won't let go. Why am I all flushed? NO! I am Kai Hiwatari, I have no feelings for this girl..._

_Wha... feelings? Why did I just... Oh never mind. _

_Shut up, Dranzer! Stop laughing! 'Cos I'm not!_

_It's not funny!_

_She said she wants to show me something._

_What... does she mean by that?_

_Why am I afraid?_

_No.. I'm not!_

_"Then how do you explain the butterflies?" Dranzer giggled._

_What butterflies? Who cares about those things? They don't come out in Winter!_

_"No, Kai. No... let me explain.. the other...type."_

_What other type? _

_"In your stomach."_

_I don't eat butterflies._

_"Heh. nervous, too?"_

_What are you getting at?_

_Wait. I don't wanna know. You'll only mess with my head!_

_"Your messing with your own feelings. It's bad for you, Kai."_

_Huh? Hn. I know my feelings. I'm cold and I wanna blade!_

_Fern isn't apart of my fee..._

_"Go on and say it!"_

_I can say it._

_"Then say it, go on."_

_Fern isn't apart of my feeli... She's not apart of my feelin..._

_"As I thought."_

_Who cares, Dranzer?_

_"You can't even admit Fern means nothing to you."_

_I can, but I won't. I know my feelings. They are real. They... don't.. involve her..._

_I said it._

_"You think too much. Look, she's holding your hand."_

_I do not thi... WAIT WHAT? _

_End POV_

Kai glanced down at his once cold hand. Fern's hand was gripping it tightly, as he stared in shock. He had NEVER held a girl's hand before, and he didn't intend to. Fern was still running, dragging him along. Enough was enough. Kai suddenly stopped, making Fern fly back slightly. Fern turned around and faced Kai. He pulled her an angry face under his blue hair, and without thinking, roughly took his hand back and released form Fern's hand.

Suddenly, he regretted it. The warm feeling that he had vanished, now the sharp cold wind was hitting him clearly, it made him weak. Fern stared back at him with a concerned look.

"Something wrong?" Fern asked curiously.

Kai hesitated at speaking. Fern stared into his eyes, it made him weaker. He just couldn't be mean to her, or shout at her. But he had to, or he won't feel right. Dranzer knew Kai was only going with past personality, but that's only because he's never met a girl before.. properly.

"FERN! Just stop! We're here to blade, not run around like dancing angels!" Kai snapped, feeling kind of good about himself. Fern bowed her head in shock, she didn't think Kai would ever yell. She looked back up at him, he seemed serious. Cruel and angry shots of emotions shot through his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry Kai..." Fern apologized.

_Fern's POV_

_Woa, he's never shouted at me before._

_Did I do something wrong? I thought we were friends._

_We got along quite well. I don't see his problem._

_Damn, it's so cold! I can't stand standing around here like this._

_He's staring at me... but it's not the same stare as before._

_I must have upset him in some way._

_He's not the type of person to admit it though._

_Werex? What do you think?_

_"I don't know, miss. I'm not in his head. But he's mad because of something. Just give him time." Werex suggested._

_Okay. You think he'll come around?_

_I mean, have I done anything wrong?_

_"No, no. Maybe he likes you."_

_Ha. Ew, you kidding?_

_"Aha. Perhaps. Sly people like him might... well... become insecure. You two are opposites, I'll bet he's not used to fun."_

_I know. That's why I wanted to show him how. You know that saying? Dance Like No One's Watching?_

_"Yes, miss. But I don't understand."_

_Oh, okay. Well, think about it. What does it mean, first of all?_

_"Well miss, I guess... it means dance, but pretend no one is watching you. So give it your all, and don't care what other people think."_

_Exactly. I think he needs to... relax a little. He seems to get all defensive and shy when it comes to having fun. _

_He should just have fun; and not care what anyone thinks._

_Laugh Out Loud._

_Enjoy himself._

_Not sit in the distance. _

_Let's take dancing, for an example._

_If he really liked dancing, he should just dance, and dance and dance._

_Dance his heart out._

_And to do that, he needs to Dance Like No One's Watching._

_"But... he likes blading, right? For him it should be, Blade Like No One's Watching."_

_Na... he blades like that when people ARE watching... I think both are different._

_Blading is rough, boyish, maybe. But dancing... it's much much more passionate, it shows your true feelings, reveals your true personality. It catches his own emotions, and most importantly, people catch his._

_"I hardly think he'll enjoy dancing, miss."_

_That's just an example. What I was thinking of.. was.. well..._

_"What's that, miss?"_

_...Love. He needs to spread some Love._

_End POV_


	9. Training on the Hill Tops Part 2

**AOD83:) Chapter 9 has come a little quicker this time. Thank you soooooooooooooooooooo much to EVERYONE who had reviewed, you are all so nice... now you'll get a hug from Kai.**

**Kai: No they won't!**

**AOD83: Hey! You were all for it last chapter!**

**Kai: I wasn't myself then.**

**A0D83: Excuses... excuses...**

**Kenny: Umm... while them two are babbling on, I may as well take their lines. Please review!**

**AOD83: Ohhh oh yeah folks, Kenny's going to have more of an 'active' roll too in some chapters. ;) -Laughs evilly- Heh heh.**

**Kenny: Oh GAWD, it's the evil laugh! You're so cruel, what are you planning for me?**

**AOD83: Don't worry Ken, it's not gonna happen... yet...**

**Kenny: -Gulp-**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 9- Training on the Hill Tops Part 2**

A tall, dark figure stepped out of the gloomy light, from the back of the old power building. Four youths stood before him in the powerless light, close to the chilly draft coming from underneath the metal, bolted door. Up above, hovering over each one of them, stood cracked orange lights, giving off an ungenerous amount of power. The random sound of buzzing electric would occur, which made the broken light shades suddenly flicker a bright yellow, revealing the appearance of the dark figure.

The single room they stood in, was damp from the constant snow falling that managed to reach inside the building, by the opening of the heavy, bolted door, soaking the dark blue sofa, tables and rough carpet under their feet. Each of the four boys watched as the figure became closer, and closer. Although, they weren't scared. They knew this man alright, and there was a reason for him intruding in their hide-out.

Once again the buzzing of the electric sparked a light on, but this time it stayed on. A tall, purple-haired man stood before the four boys. He wore a distinctive long, green jacket, and dark goggles covering his purple eyes. His tight, black shirt and trousers made it seem like his soul, was black. Not that everyone's soul was visible, but by looking at him, only darkness and hatred could be seen.

"They would never expect that girl, right?" The eery voice sang through the gloomy room, echoing silently as he faced the four boys, standing still and quietly, like they were in some sort of trance.

"We asked her and she said no." A scarred, 16 year old boy explained, flicking back his dark brown hair. The tall man shook his head slightly, and smiled.

"I know, I know... But you've been watching her right? She's become ever so close to those... Bladebreakers... has she not?"

"That is true, " A blue-haired looking trouble-maker pointed out, steeping further towards the tall man.

"Yes... And.. you told me she has a special ability?" The trench-coated man snarled back, breathing heavily like he was trying to catch his breath.

"Yeah.. We saw her..." Before the blue-haired blader could finish, the man interrupted.

"I know what you saw. I felt it too. Well? It's easy. Offer her my newest beauty- My newest creation! The woman who devours the land, is both creator and destroyer. She throws molten fountains into the air, governs the great flow of lava, and has been known the reveal herself throughout the island of Hawaii. Pele is a goddess of Fire, lightening, dance, volcanos and destruction!" A strong wind began to form, hurdling towards the four boys that stood in front of him, as he raised both of his hands, as if he was chanted some sort of spell. Cupped in his hand, was an orange and black blade, letting loose a powerful orange light and destructive wind. "COME BEFORE ME!"

Kai suddenly felt a rush of guilt run through is body. He knew he shouldn't of shouted at her, she didn't do anything wrong. But it just seemed like she was controlling him, trying to tell him what to do. And NO ONE told Kai what to do.

Fern and Kai were stood straight on top of the main, largest hill in the area. The snow was falling softly, dropping lightly onto their clothes and noses. Fern could feel her feet freezing up, she knew she should of put an extra pair of socks on. But that wasn't the only thing making her feel cold, oh no, it was Kai. After shouting at her, she felt like she had done something wrong. She felt guilty a little, just incase she had upset Kai somehow. But that's the thing, she just couldn't think how. Maybe Werex was right, maybe Kai was insecure and didn't like to have fun. But that's what she wanted to pull out of him. Everyone has a fun side to them, she just wanted to pull that extra little bit of fun out of him, and get a result.

The gentle waves of the sea rushed into their ears, making both of them suddenly feel sea sick. Stood in the same spot for ages made them dizzy, especially because the hill was high, and right next to the chilly sea. After a while, staring at the ground for ages made it look as if it was moving, like a ship. So the songs of the waves didn't help one bit. But what would Kai rather do? Stare at Fern or stare at the ground?

For some reason, he choose the ground. After shouting at her for no apparent reason, he had nothing to say to her, not like he said much to her anyway. But he felt somewhat guilty and ashamed. And now that Dranzer had been talking to him alot more than usual lately, made him think about what Dranzer had been saying.

'Me? Fern? BULL.' Just when Kai was about to go into another train of thoughts, a loud happy scream almost burst his ears drums, and worst of all, he was close to it.

"HEYYYYYY RAY! MAX! KENNY! AND TYSON I GUESS!" Fern called, resulting in Kai staring at her right in the face, wondering what the hell she was doing. She was standing on her tip toes, waving brightly and staring down at the bottom of the hill. Kai turned and look down; to see his team mates had finally dragged Tyson out of bed. 'Hmm... just a minute ago she seemed so sad... I wonder how she suddenly swapped emotions so.. quick?'

"Hey, you two," Ray smirked, as the four bladers began to make their way up the hill. Fern felt a smirk creep across her face, when she noticed what they were wearing. Tall, wooly hats with a cute pom-pom on top, nice knitted scarves, gloves, and long, cosy looking jackets. Then there was Kai, who came out in his usual white scarf, black vest and trousers. 'Big difference there...' She smirked, examining each of the bladers as they climbed the hill. She watched Tyson lazily slip on a layer of snow and fall over, grabbing the hood of Kenny's coat in the process and dragging the poor guy down with him.

Fern smiled at them both, until Ray and Max broke her eye contact when they stood face to face with her. They weren't smiling now, in fact, they looked a little angry. This made Fern feel a little uneasy.

"I thought you two came up here to do some blading?" Questioned Ray, as he sorted out his now-slanted hat and straightened it on his head. Max half-smiled at Fern, trying to make an effort. Sure, the snow was nice, but it made them feel cold obviously, and lazy due to the face it made them sleepy, slacky and too cold to move.

"Oh, well we had a break, I guess," Fern chirped back, now Tyson and Kenny joining them on the hill. Tyson bent down and scrubbed off the snow on his knees, then stood up straight, pulling Fern a cheesy smile.

"Hey Fern! Cold ain't it?" Tyson said, chattering his teeth together. Fern simply smiled and nodded, then turned back to Ray as he spoke.

"Oh... but you haven't been up here that long? Anyway, I don't blame you.. it's freezing! Hey, Kai, why didn't you take a hat?" Asked Ray, now everyone turning their attention onto Kai. He was staring right back at Ray, but hesitated to reply straight away.

"Who cares about a little snow? Just because it's cold, doesn't mean you lot will be slacking up or anything. So, now that we're all here, let's get to work!" Kai ordered, watching the sighing faces of each of the bladers.

"Aww geez, is feckin' frezzin'!" Tyson chanted, folding his arms across his stomach, trying to warm himself up.

"That's not my problem. Ray and Max, get on that hill over there and practice. Tyson and Kenny, do some warm-ups, two times up and down the hill over there," Kai pointed to the next nearby hill. Moans and groans came from each of the bladers, all apart from Fern. "Then after that, you can go ahead and join Ray and Max."

"And... what about Fern?" Asked Tyson, curiously.

"Fern..." Kai thought about this for a second, until he fully replied. Tyson, Max, Ray, Kenny and Fern stared at the stuttering captain, waiting for his next order. "Fern... is training with me. I want to see what she's got."

Fern felt herself smirk annoyingly. 'Heh heh... so he's forgiven me then?' She thought sneakily, yet confused by his actions.

Tyson raised an eyebrow slightly, but agreed anyway. "Alright, I guess. Come on, Kenny!" Tyson waved his arm at Kenny, signaling him to follow him. The two began to run down the hill, leaving behind a trail of footprints. Ray and Max looked at each other and nodded, then followed Tyson and Kenny down their trail of marks in the snow. Soon it left Kai and Fern together, getting froze to death standing around.

"So... you ready?" Fern smirked, ripping her blade out from her pocket. To her surprise, Kai threw her a half-smile. She knew it must of meant something. He doesn't smile often, that's for sure.

"Hn. Okay, we'll have a battle. Want some advice, or are you gonna pull a 'Tyson' and be ignorant, and not want any at all?" Kai asked, pulling Fern now a very serious face.

"Ummm... Sure Kai..." Fern said, lowering her ripcord and blade for now.

"Alright, listen up. No doubt, your bit-beast is powerful, but your blade's weak. You want it to spin faster, you need a longer ripcord. Like mine!" Kai brought out his ripcord, and placed it in his hand, laid flat so Fern could take a peek.

"Uh-huh..." Fern said, leaning over to look at his ripcord. "So, your saying I need a new ripcord?"

"No, I'm saying..."

"...That I shouldn't use my ripcord?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying..."

"...I need a shorter one?"

"NO! Just let me speak!"

Kai sighed. "Right, I'm saying, get Kenny to take a look at it for you. He'll be able to do something about it!"

"Ohhhhhh... ok no prob! Will do in a sec! Any more advice?" Fern happily chirped.

Kai felt like mentally slapping his head. He could feel she was going to be a hard one to train. He felt the boiling bubbles settle down in his head from before. He didn't want to get angry again, so this time, he tried to explain it to her simpler.

"Alright, now listen. Everyone has their own style of launching. So if you loose a battle, it could be because of the way you launch. Now, show me," Kai demanded. Fern blinked repeatedly in confusion.

"Show you... what?"

"Hey! Don't mess me about, Fern!" Kai felt like madly exploding, he knew deep inside Fern was intelligent and not truly this thick!

"Oh! You mean show you my launch! Sure, but you could of made it clearer!" Fern smirked, grabbing her ripcord and blade back out of her pocket. She glanced around for a second, confused. "And the arena is...what?"

Kai smirked. "This whole hill. It's rounded, right? It'll do."

"WHAT? But what if it falls into the sea?"

Kai frowned at Fern's point. "Hey, if your a good enough blader, you should be able to control it and stop it from doing that! Alright?"

Fern knew she wasn't a good blader, although she seemed fairly strong that day when she faced Tyson. She wasn't strong enough though, she needed to show Kai what she could really do. She slipped her ruby and black blade onto her ripcord, and held it towards her side, ready to launch.

"In 3. 3...2...1..." Kai directed, and immediately Fern brought her arms above her head and let her blade race to the hill ground like a wild rollercoaster. Kai and Fern watched as it spun around the hill, circling them perfectly. After a few minutes of spinning and picking up a load of snow, the blade slowly calmed down, and stopped spinning right underneath Fern's feet. Fern bent down and picked it up, a little disappointed. She was hoping it would have stayed spinning for a longer amount of time. Well, that was where the ripcord came in.

"Hn. Not as good as I had anticipated. Right; go to Kenny, and he'll fix your ripcord in not time," Kai suggested, looking over at Kenny, who was sat at the edge of one of the hills, watching Tyson, Max and Ray use one of Kenny's smaller dishes to have a three-wave Beyblade battle. Fern glanced over at the four bladers, then nodded back at Kai, fulfilling his request. She set off down the slippery hill, watching her step each and every time.

As she made her way over to Kenny, she began to think about Kai. Why the sudden change in attitude? Now he seemed so determined to help her, to help her become a better blader. Sometimes she wondered what the hell was going on in that head of his. Perhaps he felt guilty at shouting at her? 'Na, Kai isn't really... the guilty type, I guess. But then again... he's just full of surprises everyday. Haha... he's awesome!' She really did think he was... cool. He was so mysterious all the time, but other times, he could be so open and direct. She began to realise she had a soft spot for him, but really, she had a soft spot for each of the Bladebreakers. Ray, well, she enjoyed his cooking, he was so sweet and caring, it made her trust him with her life. Then there was Max, the bright and cheerful one. She loved messing about with him, both of them got along well. And... Kenny, he was always making sure she had everything she needed. He was even going to fix her ripcord, or so Kai said he would. Lastly but certainly not least, was Tyson. The spunky, laid-back hyperactive guy who although was now 14, still acted like a big kid. Fern loved the hyperactive sort of guys, they made her feel safe, and in a way, wanted.

Fern made her way up the hill the Bladebreakers were up, and quietly made it to the top she she couldn't disturb their training. She glanced across at Kenny, to see he was smiling back. She made her way across to him, almost getting knocked off the edge in the process by Tyson, who was excitedly jumping up and down off the ground as the blades were colliding in the dish. Getting her balance back, Fern ran and slid down next to Kenny to take cover from the hyperactive competitor Tyson.

"Hey Fern..." Kenny smiled, curling up against his scarf and laptop. "What's up?"

"Hm... well, I was wondering if you could do something with my ripcord. You know, lengthen it a bit?" Fern asked, placing her gloved hand on Kenny's shoulder. Her long, red hair swam through the air, as a sudden cold wind settled on the hills. 'Good job I had brought lots of knitted gear.. unlike Kai..' She smirked, quickly glancing over at Kai on the previous hill. He was stood in the middle of it, stroking his blade, as his scarf blew backwards. It was like.. he didn't feel any cold at all. He didn't even jerk, or twitch, or anything.

Shaking her head slightly, getting rid of her thoughts, she turned her attention back onto Kenny, who was still examining her ripcord.

"Sure, I can do it, "Kenny smiled. Just give me an hour. It seems a little battered, and short, but with Dizzi's help, I'll be able to prepare it now. Still, you must be a strong blader if you were to manage to still blade with this thing!"

"Uh..yeah.. " Fern seemed lost in her own words, as she stared curiously still at Kai.

"OH! I mean, thanks a lot, Kenny!" Fern snapped out of her 'staring-at-Kai' trance. "Oh, an hour? Okay, I'll go tell Kai! Thanks again!" Fern smiled cheerily, and immediately ran back down the hill and headed for Kai.

Kenny watched her closely, curiously. 'Hmmm... shes's a weird one...' Staring at her made Kenny fix his eyes on her like glue. He just couldn't take them off her. Her red and dark brown hair swerved softly in the wind as she ran off, her legs kicking up very flexibly, made Kenny cringe. But, in a good way. he snapped out of his staring, and faced the BladeBreakers again. For some reason, Fern once again popped into his head, and he just HAD to look at her again.

'Ah.. she's so... flowery... she smells nice...!' Kenny felt a big, strong flutter in his stomach. Strangely enough, despite being a cold day, the inside of him suddenly felt warm and bubbled up when he glanced down at her ripcord in his hand. 'Ah... I'll get to work...' Kenny sniffed excitedly.

"Hey, Kai!" Fern smiled, panting heavily as she reached the top of the hill Kai was stood waiting patiently on. He looked up at her straight away, as she walked further towards him.

"Well?" Asked Kai, meaning he wanted to know what was going on with her ripcord.

"Oh, yeah... well he said he can do it, but it'll take an hour," Fern explained, keeping her smile flat on her face, even as she spoke.

"Hn... great. Well, may as well give you more tips. Ready for your big battle..." Kai said, although Fern could see a smile forming on his face when he said those last words. She gulped hard; just was was his planning?

"Wha...What you mean.. 'Big Battle?'"

This just made Kai smile even more. "With me, of course. I want a battle with you. Haven't had one yet; just don't let me down and don't disappoint me."

"WHAT? But you're too good for me! I'll never be-"

Kai cut her off talking. "So? Just show me what you got. Hn. I better not have just wasted my time here. Now I want a good battle." Kai seemed determined on the outside, but he was secretly hiding something deep in the inside. Something even he didn't understand properly. One minute, he would feel okay around Fern. Even he knew he got along with her well, and he could even be nice to her, which was rare for him. But.. another part of him just had to be that same, cold Kai to her, even though he knew he didn't have to. It felt so different.

"Fine, gimme those tips, tiger!" Fern smiled, listening back to what she had just said. 'Gimme those tips, tigers? Hehe, that's a new one. He kinda suits the nickname tiger!'

'Tiger..?' Kai blankly stared at Fern at her unusual nickname. 'Whatever...'

Just over an hour of standing around, and Kai TRYING to give tips to Fern, although it was hard since she kept changing the subject onto how cold it was, Kenny finally got the ripcord fixed. Fern and Kai watched him rush over to the hill. He looked so small and cuddly in his coat, it made Fern just want to jump on him and hug him to death. And the fact that he was about two years younger than her, didn't stop her. She planned on prancing on him with a big 'thank you' to go with it for fixing her ripcord. As he staggered up the hill, he held Fern's ripcord into the air, jumping up happily onto the top of the hill with a wide smile on his face.

"It's fixed!" Kenny boasted, holding out the ripcord, waiting for Fern to take it. Instead, she smiled cheesily at Kenny, making his butterflies in his stomach flap all over the place. His heart began to speed up, as she smiled sweetly at him like she was up to no good. Kai looked on skeptically, as she just stood at watched Kenny's confused expression.

"THANKS KENNY!" And with that, Fern lept onto Kenny, throwing both her arms around him. Muffled screams could be heard from underneath Fern's scarf, where Kenny's little head was buried under.

Fern brought her cheek right close to his, squeezing him tighter and tighter. "Ohhh thanks so much!"

Poor Kenny was too scared to even try to escape, he just enjoyed the flowery scent that Fern gave off.

_Kenny's POV_

_Ahhh I can't breathe! I can't breathe!_

_Huh... Ohhh... My stomach feels like it's gonna explode..._

_End POV_

Fern slowly let go of Kenny, taking the ripcord out of his hand along with her. She stood back and let Kenny recover from the tight squeeze. For a few seconds, he felt dizzy and breath-less, making him almost fall over.

"Hn..." Kai's moan snapped Kenny out of his dreary state, and turned his attention to Kai instead of thinking about Fern.

"Oh... yeah... well the ripcord should be okay now..." Kenny said, still looking a little shaken.

"Right.. Excellent.. Now Fern, what do ya say to that battle?" Kai asked, looking at the cheesy Fern. She turned away from Kenny and looked at Kai, still with that cheeky grin on her face.

Fern's hair flapped in her face wildly after another strong gush of wind. She carefully moved it back, then placed her right foot behind her left foot, and placed her hands on her hips. "Sure. Bring it on, tiger!"


	10. Phoenix Vs Wolf

**AOD83: Yo! Wow o0 I was so surprised at the amount of reviews I got last chapter. Well thankies to everyone, you all rock! Spirit Of Innocence, your review cracked me up XD So damn hyper! LOL, but hypers good. And AnimeGirl329, ta for reading this story even though it's quite far in, thankies so much!**

**Fern: WHOOTWHOOTWHOOTHYPERISGOODISN'TIT?**

**Everyone: ...**

**AOD83: Alrighty then, you strange specimen. Anywho... I won't say 'please review' this time, I bet it gets annoying. 0o**

**Kai: You just said it!**

**AOD83: But I wasn't directing it at them- Oh nevermind! ...Ya know, after editing and reading this chapter back, I started to wonder how long this story has got left until it finishes. 0o And I don't think it's even half-way through yet, so everyone whos reading it, you've got quite a long time to go yet.. but uhhhh yeah, Enjoy chapter 10 anyways!**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching **

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**Chapter 10- Phoenix Vs. Wolf**

Tyson, Ray, Max and Kenny all gathered excitedly at the hill Kai and Fern were about to battle on. They sat close to the edge of the hill, but the opposite way to the sea so they didn't fall in or anything. They were all sat slanted down the side of the hill, but close enough to see. They didn't want to get attacked by blades.

It felt so exciting, it even made Tyson feel weak at the stomach just thinking about the upcoming match. Ray was curious to see how well Fern had improved over the past few days, he wondered if they had made an affect on her at all when they threw in random tips at her. It made Ray think back to the previous day. That night Max kept randomly giving Fern advice, but she was watching TV, so if she took them in or not, they don't know. But they were about to find out.

Max sat flat on the floor, cuddling his legs up to his chin. It felt so awesome, watching a Beybattle in a snowy atmosphere. Although the cold did get to them sometimes, Max could even feel snow creeping down his pants. He shivered slightly, pulling down his cosy jacket so no more snow could sneak in. After this battle would finish, he knew his backside would be stiff and would get pins and needles, which he didn't like. Clearing those thoughts, Max tried to concentrate on Fern and Kai, who were getting ready to battle. A warm feeling bubbled inside, he felt like he was watching the final of a world champion battle. Like Ray, he was curious to see if his tips had made an affect on her. Although he wasn't bothered if she lost, after all, it was Kai Hiwatari she was facing here!

Tyson and Kenny snuggled up to each other, trying to keep as warm as possible. Kenny was sat in between Tyson and Max, so he didn't have much trouble keeping warm. Kenny watched Kai and Fern stretch out a little, well, mainly Fern. He lowered his eyelids a little, and smiled smugly like he was in a can't-keep-eyes-off-Fern trance. Tyson glanced down at Kenny and raised an eyebrow. Kenny's daft expression even made Tyson wonder what he was thinking of. Tyson carefully followed Kenny's gaze, and was brought to Fern. Tyson just assumed he was daydreaming about Dizzi or something, and thought nothing more of it. Tyson shook his head like he was trying to erase a thought, and focused his attention onto Kai and Fern.

"Hey, you two! Hurry it up, I can't wait any longer!" Tyson shouted hyperactively. Kai gave Tyson a quick glare, earning himself some silence from Tyson back.

Fern was stood opposite Kai, ready, with her blade and ripcord in her hand. Kai was smirking to himself slightly, quite excited himself about this battle.

"Oh! Oh! Let me be DJ Jazzman, guys!" Max called cheery, earning a quick glance from everyone.

Kai nodded slowly at Max, without a smile, then turned back to Fern and pointed his ripcord forward, facing the hill ground. Fern did the same, now both bladers smiling with confidence and cockiness in their eyes.

Now they were in position, everyone waiting patiently for Max to start them off. "Alrighty, get ready! 3... 2... 1... LET IT RIPPP!"

"YAH!" Fern cried out a battle scream, ripping her blade off her newly repaired ripcord. She could feel the difference straight away, the blade literally tore off the ripcord and spun violently to the hill floor. Kai released his blade at the same time, smiling positively as his blade reached the ground, resulting in a loud crunch as his blade tore into the icey grass.

"WEREX, BLACK OUT!" Fern ordered her bit-beast. A sinister black light emerged from her blade, slowly forming into her vicious-looking wolf. Kai knew he had to act fast, Tyson almost lost his match when she used this move on him a few days ago.

"DRANZER, FIRE ARROW, NOW!" Kai shouted, letting rip a bright light, which took form into the beautiful legendary bird, the phoenix. Fern smiled quickly, trying not too loose concentration too much. Dranzer was just enough to make Fern smile; she had always wanted to see Kai's bird in action, and she was more than pleased when she saw how gorgeous she was.

Now black mist forming steadily over the hills, Kai's blade had let loose off the ground for a short amount of time, then Dranzer quickly sparked a bright, luminous fire attack. The two beasts kept releasing mist and fire, trying to out-do each other. Dranzer was managing to slowly burn the black mist away, which was now succeeding in forming around Kai and Dranzer. Even Tyson and the rest of the team were surrounded by it.

"STRONGER FLAME, DRANZER!" Kai could see this was going to be a problem. He tried to keep his cool, and ordered Dranzer to let out a more powerful flame. Kai could just about see his blade in the mist, still spinning and colliding with Fern's swirling blade. Dranzer lifted higher into the air, letting loose a hot wave of flames, which made this Winter seem like a scorching Summer day. Even some of the snow around them was melting.

The fire was powerful, it took over the black mist quickly and drained it with ease.

"NO!" Fern shouted like she was defeated already, but she knew she couldn't give up yet. Dranzer had totally absorbed the mist, but it left him almost out of energy.

The remains of the flame were steadily increasing and swarming towards Fern's blade, which could easily destroy it if she didn't so something now. "UH, WEREX, ECPLIPSE, QUICK!"

Without delay, the black wolf's bright green eyes flickered with an evil essence to them. The Wolf got down on all fours, as a black spark lit underneath her paws.

'Ohh, this is the bit I hate!' Fern cursed herself, blocking her ears. A sudden loud screech and smooth buzzing racket cracked through the Winter air. The black sparks of light coming from underneath Werex's paws were growing, bigger and bigger. The defense was worth it, but the noise was almost unbearable. It sounded like one of those futuristic beam guns, but much worse.

"Ahh!" The four watching bladers cried out, covering their ears as hard as they could. "Make it stop!" Tyson shouted, scrunching his eyes shut. The only noise they could hear was the constant beaming, it made them feel like their ears were bleeding, like they were about to go deaf.

Eventually, Werex stood up on her two black legs, now holding a large, flat circle of black electric energy, shaped as the moon's surface, although it was much flatter, like a plate. Kai felt sweat run down his bare arms, he couldn't loose this. He had to win.

The flame that was hurdling towards Fern's blade, suddenly stopped in it's tracks. Werex had released the black electric shield, and blocked the fire from attacking her black and ruby blade.

"No way..." Kai watched on, astounded her defense was this good. The Fire Arrow attack totally backfired, as it bounced off Fern's defense move and hit Dranzer.

"Heh heh..." Fern laughed a little, like a victory laugh. Kai smiled at her, a very unexpected, and evil smile. "Hmmm..."

The fire passed straight through Dranzer, she was absorbing it fully! Not even a scratch.

"Oh yeah.. she's a fire bird..." Fern sweatdropped after believing she might actually have won the battle there. The fire slowly cleared, revealing both blades still spinning widely around the hill.

Fern caught Kai frowning at her. The smile didn't last for long, that's for sure. 'Damn, this is no time to be thinking about Kai's emotions! I gotta win this!' Fern was about to call Werex and order her next attack, until Kai's over-confident behavior got the better of her.

"No more messing around. It ends here!" Kai shouted, sending shivers down Fern's back. "FIRE SABRE!"

"This is bad." Tyson blankly said, straight to the point. Oh yes, it was bad. For Fern.

Violent waves of fire literally erupted out from the phoenix. The powerful energy was enough to knock Fern down; Unstable, unable to move, Fern watched on in horror as her bit-beast was being surrounded by a large beam of hot fire. It felt like the end of the world, the energy was so strong, so powerful, unbeatable. Fern tried to stand up and order her bit-beast to self-defense, but it was no use. The flame was too powerful, if she got any further to it, she would be burnt to crisp. Terrified, Fern tried to shout out her next order to Werex, but she was speechless. Nothing would come out and as she panicked even more, she became weaker.

Werex howled out in pain, as she fell unconscious to the ground. "WEREX!" It was enough, seeing her bit-beast in so much pain, to shout out the wolf's name. Seeing her in agony made her angry and determined, but it was no use now. She knew there was nothing more she could do, only hope her blade would keep spinning and hope Kai's would stop.

As the fire drained away, the blades were revealed. Fern's blade was still spinning, along with Kai's... until the black and ruby blade began to slow down, only making Fern's heart beat faster as it did. She knew it wouldn't last forever, that it would have to stop sometime.

In a flash, Werex formed into a splash of light, and returned to her blade. "Werex..." Fern immediately jumped up from the spot.

The black and ruby blade came to a total stop, as one last push from Kai's blade sent Fern's blade to total stillness. The battle was over; It was clear who had won. Kai. His blade was still spinning, but slowly. Everyone watched curiously, but not shocked. Secretly, they all had a feeling Kai would win this one. He never usually lost battles, and she was still learning after all.

Kai felt a smile tug at his face. The remaining sweat from his hands and forehead had totally vanished, only leaving relief on his side. Fern caused an unwanted silence, as everyone watched her actions carefully; she didn't look too upset, maybe just a little disappointed. She began to walk up to her blade and at first stared down at it as if she was hesitating to pick it up.

Fern's face suddenly sparkled, along with a huge smile spreading across her face like she'd actually won the battle. Ray smiled after her, realizing she knew her fate wasn't to win.. just yet. Fern bent down, and picked up her blade, standing up again still with a bright sparkle in her eyes, of victory.

The phoenix felt confused; she was smiling... but had lost a battle? Is there anything to smile about? As he watched her, he saw complete happiness in her eyes and face, like she had given it her all. And she probably did, that's why she was smiling. She did her best. Kai sort of understood. It's all she could do, and she reached her limit. That's what beyblading was really about. Giving it everything you had got, and not holding back.

Fern looked up at Kai, and pulled him a half smile. "Well done, Kai!"

A wash of relief washed through her body, she felt quite proud of herself. She knew she would never be able to beat Kai, but maybe one day, she could. And that's what she aimed to do. Fern waited patiently for a reply from Kai. He glanced at her softly, sort of enjoying staring back into her eyes.

Tyson and the others stood close to Kai and Fern, who where sharing a moment of staring. Each of them wondered what Kai was going to say or do, but they had a feeling Kai wouldn't appreciate her gratitude.

"Hn, " Was all that came out. Fern shook her head and smiled, but in a good way. She had figured it out. The constant 'Hn's' was the only answer that suited Kai. She couldn't imagine him saying, 'oh thanks, you were a pleasure to battle'. But it felt... right. Like the 'Hn's' were all for appreciation.

"As I thought!" Said Fern, still staring into the phoenix's eyes.

"Alright then..." Tyson said, feeling a little awkward. "Should we take five?"

"Hehe, we're not on a movie set Tyson! But yeah, that does sound like a good idea. What do ya say, Kai?" Fern had a hunch his answer would be 'whatever.' In his world, it meant, 'yes.' That was another thing she had worked out.

"..." There was a short silence for a while, until Fern proved her theory correct. "Whatever..." Kai said, unfolding his arms.

'Aha! I knew it!' Fern smiled to herself. She had almost got the hang of Kai's way of talking, she was even thinking about asking the BladeBreakers to teach her more of Kai's 'language.'

"Is that all you can say? 'Whatever'..." Tyson boasted, mimicking Kai quite well. Kai glared at Tyson slightly, still keeping his head low though.

'Hmmm... on second thought..' Fern noticed Tyson hadn't really gotten used to all this 'whatever' and 'hn' business, even though he's know him for quite a while. She immediately regretted thinking about asking the BladeBreakers about Kai's 'language'. They didn't seem to understand much of it themselves, in fact, it didn't seem that they understood Kai at all, that's probably why he doesn't join in with many conversations they have together.

Fern understood him though. She understood that everyone was different; there would only be ONE Kai in the whole world, but there won't be one personality. There's plenty of other cold people out there, worst than Kai. It just seems the BladeBreakers hadn't met any yet.

Snapping out of her world of thoughts, she didn't notice that Tyson, Max, Ray and Kenny had already ran off onto the next hill. She gazed across at Kai. His scarf was blowing smoothly. He must of been cold, she could practically see the goosepimples sticking up on his arms. His head was bowed slightly, as usual.

The red-haired girl felt a little awkward at first; she didn't know what to say to him to start a conversation. Anyway, she knew she was the one who would have to start one. He never usually did.

It was cold just standing around saying nothing and doing nothing, so Fern slumped to the ground and sat with her knees sticking out side-ways. Looked kind of painful from Kai's point of view, but it felt fine.

"So... Umm... cold, huh?" Fern stuttered, hoping Kai would say something back.

Kai ignored her and concentrated on his own thoughts. 'Just earlier.. when she said she wanted to show me something... what was that? I can't stop thinking about it... I have to know...' Kai cringed a little in his head, hoping the question he was about to ask Fern didn't sound too... well you know. He didn't want to sound too bold, too forward. She might get the wrong idea. Kai shot Fern a quick glance, and held that position until he managed to get the words out.

"Earlier... when you said you wanted to show me something. What was it?" Kai asked, watching Fern's face suddenly light up. 'Ugh...'

Kai suspiciously watched as Fern stared back at him, not answering the question straight away. About twice, she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was hesitating, and it kind of worried Kai. What would a 15 year old girl want to 'show'.. him?

"Oh... Ummm..." Fern stuttered a little. "It's nothing..." She lied.

Kai pulled her a skeptical look, indicating he knew she was bluffing and trying to cover something. Fern sighed, letting out a cold mist due to the chilly weather.

"Okay errrr... I'll show you...When the time...is right..." Fern replied, seeing Kai twitch a little at her answer.

'When the time is right? What could that mean?' Kai questioned himself repeatedly. He noticed a slight sparkle in her eyes, after she said the last words. Suddenly thinking about what it COULD mean, he suddenly felt so uneasy around her. He didn't even like her staring at him. What if it had meant...'that'. 'Surly not... maybe it's because she's so mysterious all time, maybe she was gonna tell me a secret... ARGH! 0o... A secret? Why would she want to tell me one of those?' Not like he'd have anything to say back, even if that was it.

The cold silence was making her feel a little more awkward. The only thing she could think of now is to go off for a while and have time apart from him.

"I'm going to explore. I'll see you here in 5!" Fern concluded, before giving Kai a chance to reply, she began to run down the hill and headed for the flat, grassy land below. A thrush of relief settled in Kai's head; he finally felt relaxed, now she was gone. 'Hmm...now she's gone... where is she going?' The area wasn't THAT big, but she seemed to just... disappear for ages with no trace.

Fern stood in front off a circle of trees, half of them resting against a cliff wall. She smiled quickly, then glanced to her left and right, making sure no one was watching. She turned back and faced the circle of trees from a short distance. It looked more beautiful in the snow. It had rested lightly on top of each tree, and swirled around the branches, making it look like tinsel around a Christmas tree. The bare field Fern was now standing in, was completely covered in snow, not even one grain of lime grass could be seen. She had the urge to make an angel in the snow, make snowmen, have a snowball fight and run around like a wild young child. Even the odd one of two robins could be seen hovering around the trees. She didn't have much time, so Fern picked up a faster pace as she walked towards the trees...

"Before you go in..." Fern jumped in shock at the sudden voice, wasting no time in seeing where and who it had came from. She turned around, now feeling the speed rate of her heart increase when she saw who it was.

"...Why not listen to our little proposition we have for you?" Four tall 16 years olds stood in a row, each of them giving Fern a soft glare as she stared at them in total horror. She knew who they were alright. And by the look on their faces they were serious, and up to no good.

"The...Blade Warriors!" Fern cried, shocked at their unexpected arrival. Flint, Rio, Sam, Alex, they were all there. The team her new friends would be facing soon. As sudden accusations rushed into her mind, she knew there was no point guessing why they were here and knew it would be best to ask them instead. Alex, Rio and Sam all hovered around Fern, standing to her left and right to keep her from running off. Even Alex stood behind her so she wouldn't try anything tricky. The team captain, Flint, stood face to face with her. His distinctive dark brown eyes and hair flickered with glee. Whatever he wanted, wasn't good.

Fern couldn't help herself but stare at his famous scarred face; he was known to quite alot of people, but only because of his scar. He was stuck with it ever since one of his many successful beybattles. He had made the ultimate sacrifice in winning, using his bit-beast's most powerful attack. Even he was caught up in the strong force, but amazingly, pulled through, unlike the other poor sole who was left fighting for his life. He managed to pull through, but could no longer blade. Flint was truly vicious in his battles, took any lengths to win.

Rio and Sam just sort of worshipped Flint. The team was formed during their professional training, but Alex wasn't the 'worship' type. He would do things his way, the second most powerful blader of the group. The team seemed close but.. something didn't seem quite right to Fern. If this so called 'proposition' was Flint's idea, there would be a high chance Alex wouldn't agree on it. Perhaps they had a master, someone they looked up to.

"Yeah, that's us," Smirked Alex from behind. Fern felt a little nervous being surrounded by a bunch of males who didn't seem like the 'give up' type.

"Well... Do you remember days ago now? That night...?" Flint snickered, enjoying meddling with Fern's mind. As each Blade Warrior sniggered, a fresh breath of mist came out of their mouths, indicating it was cold. Although, Fern was cold in a different way. Cold with fear.

"That night..." Fern whispered, trying to remember what had happened. 'Yes.. that night... the night I met the BladeBreakers...'

_Flashback_

_The deep, black sky was enough for anyone to feel nervous, especially when they were all alone. But walks out were nice, especially when you were bored to death sat in a grubby apartment, like Fern, the red-headed female lone blader._

_"Hey! You!" A dark brown-haired guy had shouted over at Fern from across the street, now four boys running towards her. Feeling a bit nervous, Fern decided to make this chat quick and snappy._

_"What?" Fern exclaimed, in an impolite manner. The four boys had now surrounded her._

_"We need a chat..." The blue-haired, quite handsome looking guy whispered gently into Fern's ear. She didn't even know these guys, but she knew who they were. The Blade Warriors. She had heard many stories about these guys, what they had been involved in. Stealing, theiving, dirty jobs, even beating up if kids refused to hand over their bit-beasts after a battle. She shivered with fear, scared what they were going to do to her. It would only be a matter of time before they showed her what they could do._

_Fern watched, almost petrified, as Alex glanced around, trying to find a place to chat. There was a small alley-way that was just across the street from where they were stood. Alex pointed at the alley-way, then turned to Flint, the leader, and nodded. _

_"Alright, in there!" Flint said, immediately grabbing Fern's arm to her surprise._

_"Hey, let go of me!" Fern cried, struggling to wriggle away. Now Alex had grabbed her other arm, both strong males began pulling her towards the alley._

_"We won't hurt you. We just need to borrow you for a second..." Alex reassured her. All the constant struggling made Fern loose breath, but her nerves were making her weak at the legs. She couldn't bare to think what was going to happen._

_Rio and Sam waddled behind, walking with their hands in their pockets, like they were some sort of body-guards, escorting Fern. She suddenly felt a rush of anger run through her veins, like she had the power to fight them off. _

_"LET ME GO!" She cried, starting to kick her way out of their slimy hands. "WEREX, HELP!" Alex rolled his eyes, having trouble trying to keep her under control. He slapped his hand over her mouth, so she couldn't shout anymore. But this just made her struggle more, but eventually they managed to drag her into the alley. Almost silent muffled screams from underneath Alex's hand could be heard, as she still tried to shout out for help. _

_"Hmm.. looks like your bit-beast, Werex, won't save you," Rio sniggered from behind._

_"Listen, we're not here to hurt you," Alex kept saying over and over again, trying to settle Fern down. For some reason, it kind of felt comforting and it washed some fear away as Alex kept saying it. _

_About half way down the alley, was a small street-light which brightened up one spot in the alley. That's where they were heading, she figured out that much. Stepping into the light, Alex careful let go of Fern, leaving Flint to do the rest. He threw her up against the alley-wall, almost cracking her spine as she hit the solid brick wall._

_Flint stood back away from her, letting her get used to her surroundings. For a few seconds,she held her back in a daze, rubbing it softly and trying to stay focused._

_"Alright, let's get this over with!" Rio mumbled, earning a glare from Fern. _

_"Whatever your gonna do, just do it," Cried Fern, suddenly not feeling so bothered anymore about all this. Something was going to happen, she couldn't deny that. But what?_

_"Hm.. okay, listen up girl! Straight to the point. We want you to befriend the BladeBreakers and capture their bit-beasts, then bring them straight to us... or we'll take your precious Werex away!" Flint added, now beginning to walk closer to Fern. His heavy steps along the concrete floor made her cringe._

_"What? But... I don't even know the BladeBreakers! Why me?" Fern cried, not really getting the jist of this._

_"Because... we need those bit-beasts... for someone. And only a pretty faced girl like you could manipulate them and trick them into giving you them..."_

_"Huh? But... arn't you facing the BladeBreakers in the final?"_

_"Yeah, that's the idea... but if we loose a battle, we can't take their bit-beasts... but we want you to assure us, if anything like that happens, you'll get them for us!"_

_"This is crazy! You can't just expect some random girl to do your own dirty work! That's awful! Why would you want to take their bit-beasts?"_

_Flint glared at Fern. "Because, it's what we do! And we were ordered to do it!"_

_"By whom?" Fern asked, totally shocked and disgraced by their words._

_"None of your business. But if you don't do this for us, we'll take your Werex." Alex butted in, making it clear to Fern now these guys weren't good to have as enemies._

_"You can't blackmail me... " Fern said quietly, trying not to raise her voice anymore. Fern tried to avoid looking at the team, now that they were all grunting quietly with slight annoyance. The hair on Fern's neck stood up on end, sending cold shivers down her back as she glanced quickly around at each team member. The bright, powerful moon had selected them to shine on, making creepy shadows on their serious faces._

_"Heh heh. How about we battle, then? If you win, you keep your Werex. If you loose, it's bye bye Werex!" Flint sent out a strong wicked laugh. Sam wandered over to one of the dirty metal bins down the alley, and pulled out a rounded dish. "This'll do!"_

_He threw it down in between Flint and Fern, a loud rattling sound echoing loudly as it hit the solid ground._

_"I don't want a battle! I refuse to!" Fern cried. But the thought of loosing her blade.. and Werex to these guys scared her. She knew deep down, that she had to._

_"Too bad, 'cos we are!" Flint ordered. Looks like she had no choice._

_'It's a little cracked.. but it'll do..' Flint reached into his pocket and brought out a smart, dark blue blade, along with a ripcord._

_'Argh.. I haven't bladed in a while... this is crazy, but I'll win this. For you Werex...'_

_End Flashback_

"...But I lost... Werex didn't come out..." Fern whispered, but it was enough for the Blade Warriors to hear.

'Hey.. wait a tick...' Fern suddenly realized something. The Blade Warriors were after Werex... but they couldn't get her, because she never came out of the blade. Fern suddenly snapped her fingers hard, now understanding why.

"Yes! That's why Werex didn't come out in that battle! She was scared you were going to take her!" Fern exclaimed.

"Yeah, we knew that. So finally, you've caught on," Rio smothered, growling softly with impatience.

"Hmm.. I guess after I met the BladeBreakers, I didn't think much of what you said to me that night. They were so good to me, I didn't want to ruin what we had. And I guess I enjoyed myself too much with them to even think about it.. in fact, I really didn't think much of it. I was too scared to tell them what happened... you wouldn't believe how afraid I was... to even think about it.." Fern muttered her last words, feeling tears fill her eyes. She quickly stopped her rambling, now annoyed that the Blade Warriors had the guts to talk to her again. "What do you want now?

"You're one of a kind... You are rare, very gifted. There's not many of you around. You're manipulative, sneaky, cunning.. and most of all.. you have a, shall I say, special ability?"

Fern almost choked on her tongue, listening to Flint ramble on. Did he know.. her secret?

"What- Wait a second here! Have you been watching me?" Fern shrieked, dreading the answer to the question.

Sam laughed a little. "You could put it that way!

"The thing is. We need to retrieve their bit-beasts, for someone.. else. And only you, can do that for us. You can talk to every single sacred bit-beast spirit there is, which isn't common. Oh no, it's extremely rare, yes it is. And we were ordered to watch you, our master said there was something odd about you. So we did. Then we realized, you were one of those ancient, fragile people, who were summoned with that great power to talk to spirits, but not just any spirits. Bit-beasts..." Flint explained, watching with delight as Fern's face turned into an alarmed expression. "It was a big coincidence, actually. We were ordered to ask any pretty girl who looked manipulative enough to befriend the BladeBreakers, and we just picked you up randomly because you were there. Then... we discovered your secret, and as it happens, you're the only person who can do it. It will be easy for you, all you have to do is talk to the spirits and ask them to come out of their blades.. that's if, if we lose a battle. Just a little back-up, ya know?"

"So now that you've found out what I can do, you ask me again?" Fern cried, totally enraged. "NEVER EVER would I betray my friends! That's totally sick and twisted! Who do you think I am? I'm not like that! They've been so good to me, do you really expect me to do this to them?"

"No, we don't... that's why our true master, is offering you a very, very powerful blade, Fern," Flint smiled softly, talking to Fern slowly and steadily, like she was a little child.

She had heard quite enough. Who was this 'master' they kept going on about? It made Fern sick to the stomach to think the BladeBreakers weren't too far away while some dirty bladers were asking her to betray them. She could call them every name under the sun, but she didn't, it would just cause more trouble. These guys, meant business, and they were dangerous.

"Who exactly is this 'master' you keep speaking of?" Asked Fern, suddenly hating herself for asking it. She felt guilty for making a conversation with them, but she had to know who ordered these bladers to do all this dirty work.

A sly smile crept onto Flint's face, along with Rio and Sam's. Fern felt herself twitch at the sudden outburst of smiling. That wasn't a trick question, was it? It was simple enough.

"Haha.. he's so great. He taught us to be what we are today..." Flint smiled proudly, stretching his arms over his head.

"What? Dirty little crooks?" Fern snarled sarcastically.

She quickly turned around, glancing at the circle of trees stood in the snow. Whatever she did next, she knew she couldn't lead the Blade Warriors in there. She had to make sure they stayed out, otherwise the spirits would be in danger. She guessed they'd probably try some evil stunt to capture them.

"He taught us to blade, like men! Evil comes first, he would say. That's the way we live," Flint informed, his face now looking icey blue due to the cold. His lips were turning a deep purple, along with the rest of the team. It made Fern shiver slightly, but she tried to concentrate on what came out of their mouth, not their appearance.

"That's no way to live! You can't live to be evil!" She cried, fed up with all this. She tried to walk away, knocking Flint's shoulder and walking into him like he wasn't there. Flint grabbed her two arms, pulling her back into the circle.

"Let go!" Fern cried, moving her fists around, trying to escape from Flint's steady grip. She felt him hold onto her wrists tighter, then pulled her towards his body. Rio, Sam and Alex watched on with disgust in their eyes that she was about the walk away.

'Argh! What's he doing?' Fern stared at Flint with her mouth open, shocked by his actions. Her green eyes flickered into his, as he moved his head closer to her's.

His scar looked awful close up, it was a light brown, surrounded by dark skin, which Fern guessed looked like dry blood. Flint stopped moving his head forward at the nick of time before his nose touched Fern's.

"Just remember.. 'EVIL' is just 'LIVE' backwards..." Flint whispered, finally raising his head and slightly pushing Fern away from him, releasing the tight grip on her wrists and letting her fall back into Alex. She kept her eyes on Flint, silently cursing him.

''Evil is just live backwards..." Fern repeated Flint's steady words, going into deep thought about this. It was wrong to live in an evil world. No one deserved it, but to live to be evil was worse. Why would anyone want to be evil? Why would they risk their life just to be evil? Obviously, their 'master' had put them up to this.

"If you do this for us then we'll give you the ultimate blade, our trainer made all by himself... The invincible, most deadliest blade he has ever made, which could even destroy Black Dranzer... Black Dranzer would be nothing to this one, oh no. This one completes everyone, their wish to be the strongest blader could come true. Even if you're weak personally, the beauty of this blade will do it for you... all you have to do, is have faith..." Flint notified softly.

Fern backed away from Flint, and thought about his words. 'The ultimate... blade? My dream was to become.. a good blader... a powerful one.. but.. the best? That's good too...'

_Fern's POV_

_NO! What am I thinking! I can't take it... I haven't even seen it yet..._

_Besides, I will never betray the... BladeBreakers.._

_ARGH! WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? Part of me is saying... it's good to be powerful, that it's right..._

_NO!_

_It's not right! It's all wrong!_

_End POV_

Fern's head began to ache with stress about this new blade. "All I ever wanted was to be... a powerful blader..."

Flint could see it in her face; she was confused, her thoughts were being meddled with. Smiling slyly, Flint began to meddle with her more. "Then let that dream come true!"

Fern shook her head roughly, squeezing her fists with pure anger. "NO! It has to remain a dream! I was once powerful! Back when I was living in Japan!"

Flint smirked again. "But the blade's right here... Black Pele," Fern's two eyes widened in shock, as Flint reached into his pocket, bringing out a beautiful, black and orange blade, shining strongly through the white weather.

The Wolf's head suddenly boomed with pain, as the blade was shown to her. It was being offered to her right on a plate, and it was right in front of her. The temptation was too hard to resist, but just staring at it felt weird...

'Miss, please don't take it! I have a bad feeling about this!" Werex cried in Fern's head, only making her headache worse. A strange force, apart of her, told her to take it. She could imagine herself taking it, just thinking about feeling the smooth, sharp blade excited her.

"NO, MISTRESS FERN! It's a set up! Don't take it! This blade is amateur, it's not worth it! It's got a powerful force inside, the spirit is messing with your head! She's manipulating you! Don't fall for it!"

Fern listened to Werex's words, snapping out of her urge to grab the blade and feel it and stroke it like a pet. What the hell was she thinking? Taking the blade...? She began to scare herself, she was scared to even look at the blade. Each time she did, she just wanted to accept the offer.

The four guys smiled sneakily, the blade was making an affect on her. It had already began to control her.

"This could be yours to keep... forever. Why keep your dream in you head? Trust me, it's much more exciting when it's real..." Flint sniggered, pushing the blade further into Fern's face.

It was there, right under her nose. It seemed to real, like it was watching her, as well as her watching the blade. "I..." Fern began, stuttering with complete fear, but victory in her eyes. "...Can't take it!"

Fern violently swatted Flint's hand away, literally screaming in his ear. "GET AWAY FROM ME! What are you trying to do to me?"

The scarred brunette rolled his eyes, then placed both his hands on Fern's shoulder, still the blade gripping in his hand. "Power is rare. You are very rare, Fern. Imagine... you could be the most powerfullest being on earth with this little number. No one would be able to stop you, you yourself would be invincible. Imagine the countless battles you would win, and the tournaments you could compete it, making the audience shout 'wow'.. everyone will love you!"

"I don't want to be perfect! I don't want everyone to love me!" Fern cried. Disturbingly, she found herself thinking about Kai after she listened back to what she had just said. That thought soon vanished though, when she felt the blade rub against her shoulder, as Flint held onto them tightly. She tried to focus herself on Flint, and not blade... but she couldn't help it, her head slided over to the left, urging herself to look at it, enjoying it's presence. Being touched by it felt great...

"No... you want to be a good blader though? These silly BladeBreakers won't make you that. This will, though..."

"...I..." Fern stuttered, as Flint let go of her shoulders. He stepped back a little, then cupped the blade in his hand, holding it out straight in front of him, waiting for Fern to take it.

Fern stared at it blankly, wide-eyed. She started to shiver with fear, she didn't know what to do. Take it.. or leave it?

'Take me...' A very feminine voice echoed throughout the valley. Startled, Fern quickly spun her head in all directions, searching for where that sudden voice had came from. There was no one there. Fern began to shake in fear, what was going on?

'Who said that...' Fern held her two gloved hands over her cheeks, trying to think straight. Her mind was cloudy and foggy, she just couldn't concentrate. The part of her that told her to take the blade, seemed bright and clear, but the other part, which told her to leave it, was dull and misty.

Realizing the Blade Warriors didn't seem to have heard the woman's voice, Fern understood it was a voice in her head. Not a very pleasent one.

'Take me...' The bold, strong voice rattled through her head again. Fern raised her hand forward, shaking and trembling as she did so. Her hand slowly turned over, stretching all fingers as if she was trying to grab the blade. She couldn't understand it; it was like someone was controlling her, but she knew she was doing it.

'What are you doing to me...' Fern couldn't bring herself to talk out loud, she was too focused on the blade. Suddenly reaching at violently, Fern grabbed the blade from Flint's hand furiously, giving in to temptation. She cupped it in both palms, holding it closer to her face, examining it carefully.

"Yes...haha... it's... it's..." Fern face brightened, her eyes flickering selfishly as she stared at the blade like it was some kind of god, like she worshipped it.

"...It's yours..." Flint smirked, finishing off Fern's sentence for her. That was it. His work was done here. Now the blade would take control. "Don't let me down..."

Flint, Rio and Sam turned back around, with spreading smiles waving across their faces. Alex joined them behind, as the four of them slowly disappeared into the light falling snow, heading in the direction of the beach, so mysteriously.

Fern was still deeply focused on the blade, she didn't even notice them walk off. Her smirk looked evil; like she was being possessed by it.

'She must be around here somewhere...' Kai had been quite peed off that their break was only for 5 minutes, and 15 minutes later, Fern still hadn't showed up. Tyson just kept telling Kai to let her be, but as a captain, it was Kai's job to make sure his team were safe. 'Team? She's not even part of our team!' Yet again Kai started making accusations in his head, that, he was simply looking for her because he had to, and it wasn't because of the fact that he was sort of worried about her.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Kai stopped in his tracks when he came to yet another hill, just after climbing down one. He had to admit, it got a little tiring doing all this climbing up and down. But since this hill was close to that circle of trees, where he did expect her to be, he decided to climb it and see if he could spot her in the large field where the trees where. It would be alot easier than just walking all the way out in that field, because if she was in that field, then she could simply see him from the top of the hill, and he wouldn't have to walk any further. But, if she was in the little tree area, then he'd have to go in.

Finally reaching the top of the hill, Kai looked over the edge at the huge white field. In the distance, he could see the little tree area where she usually went. In the middle of the field, was a small figure, a red-headed girl. 'Aha...'

A fast movement caught Kai's eye to the right, making him turn his head in that direction. 'Huh...' Four tall guys were walking away, heading for the far snow-filled beach that the BladeBreakers usually crossed to get to these hills.

'Hmmm... I know them...' Kai knew exactly who they were, it was the Blade Warriors. But why were they here?

Below the hill, and into the field, Fern was still staring into the cursed blade. It had totally caught her into a whole new world, she felt so strange, a little dizzy. A movement on the hill made her look up, seeing the blue-haired phoenix on the hill made her jump.

'Oh no...' Fern fixed her emerald eyes on Kai, as he stared back at her. She could barely see him through the now deep falling snow. 'Kai..' Fern glanced back down at her hand, what laid in her cupped hands made her let out a soft gasp. The orange and black blade stared back at her, as she cursed it silently in complete disgust. Since Kai had arrived, it had all changed. Her head was free of mist, and fixed on Kai deeply... 'Betray Kai?'

The terrified girl knew she was doing wrong, every time she looked up at Kai. But looking at the blade.. all that guilt washed away, like she just didn't care anymore. What she was feeling now, couldn't be described. Just what evil dark deed had she dealt to?


	11. Bathroom Madness

**AOD83: Wow, people liked last chapter? I didn't think it was that good to be honest with ya, but thanks for the reviews and stuff. Okay ummmm I should of maybe made this clearer at the start, but this fanfic isn't set at any time in particular. So I decided to have it with a mixture of things. I have used their ages from G-Revolution, but still used Season one's bit-beasts attacks and their original beyblades. So if it seems kind of odd, don't worry because I intended it to be that way. :) Just to get that out of the way. I dunno how I forgot to mention that at the beginning, but oh well.**

**Fern/hugs Kai plushie/**

**AOD83: OH OH ! Let me have a go!**

**Fern: NO! My Kai plushie!**

**AOD83: ¬.¬' **

* * *

**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 11- Bathroom Madness**

Slumping into one of the wooden seats each at the dinner table, Max and Ray sighed heavily. Ray slammed a piece of torn paper on the table, about the size of A5. The only thing that was bothering Ray at the moment, was time. There was clearly a lot of things on the list of paper to buy, but it was a matter of time if they would be able to manage to scrounge all of these things up by Monday.

"Okay, let's go over the list again..." Ray sighed, pulling the piece of paper up in between himself and Max. Who would have thought getting a party ready in so little time could be so stressing? But then again, Tyson did mention before that this was Kai's birthday here. Kai wasn't usually too fussed about a party, since he hadn't ever spent his birthday with his team. But a surprise party? Tyson was really looking forward to see how Kai reacted on this one. Yet, Max and Ray insisted they would hold a party anyway. Ray would just feel guilty if he didn't set one up for Kai, and Max just loved parties altogether.

Kenny seemed to like the idea too, however he wasn't jumping for joy at Fern's idea of having a disco. He wasn't much of a dancer himself, and they all knew fine well Kai would throw the idea back in their faces. Speaking of Fern, Max noticed she was being a little more 'apart' from them since yesterday after loosing against Kai. It was just a thought, but it just seemed weird. He thought Fern would of wanted to help plan Kai's surprise party, but she said she was tired from yesterday, so she went back to bed for a few hours. Perhaps she was a little upset from her battle yesterday, but she didn't seem to bothered at the time.

Max shrugged lightly, as Ray pushed the piece of paper further into face.

"Okay... let's see..." Max now stuck his nose into the paper, reading the list of things under each breath.

_Balloons_

_Cake_

_Sausage Rolls_

_Silly String_

_Presents_

_'Happy Birthday Kai' Sign_

_Lava Lamps_

"Balloons, Cake, Sausage Rolls, Silly String, Presents, Happy Birthday sign, Lava Lamps... Wait a sec.. LAVA LAMPS? Who wrote that?" Ray asked suspiciously, suddenly pouncing on the word 'lava lamps' as it came down the list.

He raised an eyebrow, suspiciously glaring across at Max. The blonde joker pulled an innocent look, trying to act as surprise as Ray was.

"Heh... I wonder how that got there..." Max smirked, but his act didn't fool Ray one bit. Ray sighed, purposely dropping the paper and letting it drift to the table top.

"For the last time, Lava lamps are way too expensive. What do you want Lava Lamps for, anyway?" Ray questioned, although he had to admit, it was quite amusing that Max insisted on buying Lava lamps for a party. Not usually the thing you would buy.

"They are just so cool! Mmmm... watching those funny shaped lamps with all that weird lumpy liquid moving around in them... makes me cringe with excitement!"

Ray raised an eyebrow, he hadn't met anyone who liked those things so much.

"Guys..." Kenny began, cutting out Ray's moment of thinking. "I've been thinking. Maybe a disco would be good, for all of us."

"What's brought this on all of a sudden?" Asked Max. The sudden shine of fresh sunlight spread around the room, the black TV screen absorbing the sunlight like a sponge and water. The yellow nova in the sky had been trying to force it's way in front of the white clouds all day. It was a sudden weather change from yesterday. Although, there was still a couple of white places left in New York. Most of the roads had turned into that grey and icy slush from the travelling cars on the road.

Even though Max hadn't been outside yet today, he knew it looked much warmer today from just looking outside. Many of the people weren't as dressed up, and the snow was slowly melting anyway. Kai had went out for a quick morning stroll, although Max couldn't really tell how cold it was by what Kai was wearing. He was crazy enough to wear a sleeveless vest on some of the most coldest days ever in New York, which was yesterday. And the fact that they were training near the sea, made it even colder. How did Kai mange to do it?

"Well, I was just thinking about it. I've never actually been to a real disco before, so maybe we should carry Fern's idea out... besides, she might be upset if we don't do it.." Kenny pointed out. He slumped further into the couch next to the TV. He was holding tightly onto Dizzi under his arm, tightening his grip as he watched Ray and Max's face brighten up. He could only hope they would never catch on to why he really wanted to go ahead with this disco. One, he wanted to please Fern. He didn't want to seem like a total bore. And two, he thought if he danced, then it might bond him and Fern together.

"Yeah, I was going to mention that before you said that. I was going to say, maybe we should hire a DJ. We don't even have a radio you guys," Ray trailed off towards the end, actually quite disappointed that the hotel didn't include a radio. It should of done, after all it was a pretty luxury place. He just didn't understood why it came with a bookshelf and not a radio. Why a bookshelf? 'They may as well just chuck in everything...' Anyway, the books weren't so good. Most of them were bibles, and some were romance stories, but really, really old stories from years ago. Not exactly their type.

"Hmmm... I dunno, Ray. Getting a DJ in here? We'd have to move furniture about, it would cause too much havoc. Hey, maybe we should borrow a radio from someone. It's our only option, really," Kenny sighed. "Why couldn't Kai's birthday be after the tournament? We could of had a proper party at Tyson's Dojo."

Speaking of Tyson...

"SNORTTTTTTTTTTT," Each blader raised their eyebrows, gazing at the snoring sapphire-haired teen. Tyson was snug in the double bed in the room. They had totally forgot about him for a few minutes there. They were all too worried planning Kai's party to wonder where he was. Didn't take much looking, though.

"Anyway, we should do that Chief! But who do we know that owns a radio?" Max asked, rubbing his chin softly like he was trying to work something out. Ray and Kenny joined him, staring into space until an idea popped into their head. Ideas didn't just grow on trees.

All three teens glanced up at each other, suddenly an idea hitting their heads all at once. Max's sky blue eyes flickered with excitement, following the pattern of staring.

"Fern!" They all chirped together. Yes, Fern probably did have a radio at her apartment. And she hadn't moved all of her stuff in here yet, so that was another thing to pick up at her apartment.

"Alrighty!" Max chirped, bouncing off the wooden seat and landing on the fluffy carpet on two straight legs like a cat. "I don't think she was feeling too good before, but if we ask nice enough, she might give us the keys and we'll go ourselves!"

Ray and Kenny nodded together, immediately Ray now standing up, about to head over to Kai and Fern's room.

"No wait!" Kenny boasted, jumping up from the settee. "Uhhhh...I'll go ask her.. you two carry on sorting out Kai's party!

Ray and Max blankly watched Kenny as he made the sudden outburst. Their faces were blank, not even a smile. Kenny felt his stomach twist, he knew he sounded a little desperate just then.

"Okay!" Ray smiled suddenly, Kenny's face brightening up a little. He sighed with relief.

Kenny immediately scrambled into Fern's room, not even bothering to open the curtains in the doorway, he just barged in and let the soft material crawl all over his face. The room was pretty dark, but light enough to make his way around. The curtains were still closed, but the round burning ball of fire in the sky still managed to peek through the thin lining. The light blue sky and white clouds reflected off the curtains, making the room seem blue like an underwater home. It was quite a nice atmosphere, but Kenny knew a little sunlight would do Fern some good.

"C'mon, sleepy head!" Kenny tried to joke, ripping open the curtains, revealing a flash of light to leak into the room. It totally destroyed the blue atmosphere now, and Fern's deep sleep.

"Argh..." Fern let out a soft moan, as the stinging rays of light tugged at her dreary eyelids. Kenny turned away from the window and faced the large, double bed Fern was sleeping in. The covers were almost pulled over her head, only red strips of hair could be seen dangling over the edge of the bed. She seemed to have rolled into a sausage, taking over all of the cover, even from Kai's side. It didn't matter though, Kai was up already and not in bed. Fern was sleeping closest to the window, it was practically only feet away from her. Kai choose the easy way around and took the side of the bed that was furthest away from the window, then he wouldn't have to suffer getting up on these cold mornings with a nice leak of light irritating him every morning.

'Hmm... It's kind of a shame Kai made Fern sleep at the other end of the bed. I wouldn't have mind...' Kenny giggled to himself, soon snapping out of the thoughts that he was sure Fern would find disturbing. In a way, it scared him to even think he was thinking that way.

Now Fern was gently rolling over, trying to look over at the window to see who it was. Kenny smiled. "Hey.. it's Kenny, Fern..."

She was having trouble getting out of her sausage roll in the bed, until finally Kenny stood over her so she didn't have to struggle. He didn't really want to disturb her too much.

_Kenny's POV_

_I tilted my head to the side, trying to catch her attention. She peeked up at me, finally opening her.. beautiful lime eyes. _

_That usual hint of wine-red was flickering deep within her cute eyes._

_It seemed brighter than usual today, that sparkle of red was flickering at me like it was trying to tell me something._

_Hmmm... She seems quite surprised to see me..._

_End POV_

"Kenny?" Fern quickly scrambled out of the covers, pushing them off her with her feet. "Huh!" She gasped quietly, like she was a little nervous. She sat on the edge of the bed with her legs dangling off it, now facing Kenny.

"Hey, Fern. Are.. you okay?" Wondered Kenny, clearly noticing the state she was in. her breaths were heavy and rushed, and she seemed sweaty and a little panicky.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine!" Fern reassured Kenny, trying to pull a fake laugh to go with it.

"But you're so pale! Paler than usual, anyway! Are you sure you're okay?" Kenny asked, becoming quite concerned about Fern's state. She knew she couldn't hide it, Kenny could see straight through her.

Fern nodded slightly. "It's just a headache, Kenny."

"Aww, well if there's anything you need.." Kenny stammered, now feeling the butterflies in his stomach run riot. "Uhhh... well could I ask you a favor? You see, we thought your idea to have a disco would be good, but the only thing is, we don't have music..."

Fern listened silently, not once butting in. She did notice though Kenny had trouble getting all of the words out, like he was stuttering a little. Maybe he was going to ask her for a real big favor she might not like.

"...And we thought, as seen as you're ill, we could run down to your apartment and grab the rest of your stuff, along with a radio, if you have one, that is... But uhhh even if you don't, we'll still gather your stuff together and bring it back here!"

Kenny gave a slight smirk to Fern, who was still staring at him like he was still talking. For a second, she bowed her head down, looking completely ashamed about something. Kenny raised his eyebrow, waiting for an answer. "Fern?"

Fern suddenly looked back up again, staring directly at Kenny. "Oh, uhhh... yeah, of course. My keys should be in my coat jacket in the other room."

"And... the radio?" Asked Kenny.

"Oh, yeah there should be one in there somewhere," Fern trailed off, turning back to her sad face. For a moment there, Kenny was sure he saw a flicker of blue sadness rush through her eyes. Well, she was ill. She was bound to be sad.

"Oh, nice one! Thanks, we'll get on it right away! We might be a while, we're gonna go buy some things for Kai's party too," Kenny smiled, receiving a slight smirk back off Fern. It seemed different. Usually it was cheeky, and her lips would reach her cheeks like it was stuck that way. But this time, it seemed kind of lifeless. Kenny turned to run through the curtains again to tell Max and Ray. Suddenly remembering something which could be useful information to her, he quickly turned back around again to talk to her. "Oh yeah, and Kai's just gone for a walk, he'll be back soon, don't worry. And there's something else.. the bathroom door is kinda uhhhh... playing up. This morning I nearly got locked in until Max opened it for me. So if you go in, make sure you hold it open with a chair or something... just make sure Tyson isn't around..."

"Huh? Oh, okay..." Fern replied, slightly amused by his sudden outburst of information.

Kenny turned away and ran through the curtains excitedly, yelling something along the lines of, "We're in luck, guys!"

Could she trust them with her keys and belongings? Of course she could! Why wouldn't she? The fact that she didn't even trust herself anymore, made her trust the Bladebreakers with her whole life. The strange events that had happened yesterday, were enough to make her punish herself. Even though she already had a headache, she tried to focus on making it worse. She didn't care about herself at all right now, in fact, if she really wanted to, she'd leave America just to save the Bladebreaker's bit-beasts.

But she knew, she couldn't do that. She'd gotten herself into some deep stuff, and she had to get herself out of it again before that blade started to mess with her mind again. The guilt she was feeling right now, was enough for to admit it to the team exactly what had happened. But the fear of loosing them, especially Kai scared her to death.

'Wait.. Kai especially? I dunno...' She knew she liked them all the same, but something about Kai made her feel safer...

Erasing the sudden thought, she went back to her guilt. If they found out, they'd probably never trust her again. Just thinking about it made her really sad.

'But miss, just remember, it wasn't your fault at all. Those crooks won't get away with this. It was their fault, the blade was powerful enough to drag you into her world. Just remember that.' Werex comforted Fern.

"But, I can't help but blame myself, ya know... I could of resisted.. but the voice.. it... I feel so bad," Fern explained to Werex.

'Well, you shouldn't. You haven't done anything wrong. You haven't done anything bad, yet. Remember, you only took the blade, you haven't betrayed the Bladebreakers. You haven't took their bit-beasts, have you?'

Fern smiled a little, Werex's words were making an impression on her. "Yeah! You're right! I haven't betrayed them yet have I?" Fern's smile faded off. "But... I'm scared incase I do."

'Miss, when the time comes to it, I'll help you...'

"Thanks Werex,"Fern smiled, enjoying Werex's honest words. If only she could be honest with herself... for many things.

_BANG!_

Turning her attention on to the sudden loud bang, Fern realized Ray and the team had now left... or have they? Didn't they leave a while ago? 'Did I even notice them leaving...?'

The sound of Tyson snoring almost ripping off the roof suddenly got louder and more clearer. Someone was in that room... Fern carefully reached out of bed, revealing her cute, rainbow coloured nightgown which reached her kneecaps. Listening carefully to the mystery intruder, Fern walked towards the curtains which followed on into the other room. There were shadows dancing around on the curtain, where someone was walking past. Whoever this person was, they sure didn't make a lot of noise.

Peeking around the side of the curtain, she recognized the blue-haired broad-built certain person she was thinking about earlier. It was Kai, back from his walk. She felt her lips tug into a smile, as she pulled open the curtain, earning a glance from Kai from across the room.

"Hey Kai!" Fern sang happily, making her way towards the phoenix. Kai was dressed different today, that was the first thing she noticed about him. He was wearing a bluey purple sleeveless jacket, compete with two cute yellow fasteners on each side. It was open, which revealed another purple T-shirt, which seemed to match the colour of his baggy trousers. This was just a hunch, but Fern guessed he would probably be wearing purple underwear too.

Suddenly blushing at the though, she snapped out of it when she noticed his scarf was tied differently. It hung over his purple T-shirt, draping loosely around his neck with two long pieces of material hung down from the back.

"Ohhhh new look, huh? You know, I liked the old way better," Fern smirked. Kai gave her a soft glare from where he was sat. "Oh- but don't get me wrong, you look just as cool this way too!" Fern stammered, trying not to make Kai annoyed.

Kai half-smiled a little, amused by her antics. It didn't last long though, when Fern decided to start yet another conversation Kai wasn't too keen on.

"Hey, so you're gonna be sixteen then, huh? Wow, big boy now! Big tiger!" Fern sneered sarcastically, showing off her teeth along with her cheeky grin.

Kai raised an eyebrow at her. He glanced around the room, now realizing someone was missing. In fact, all of them were missing, minus Tyson who was still sleeping soundly in bed.

"Where's Ray?" Asked Kai glumly. Fern sparked a little, overjoyed he actually spoke to her!

"Oh, he's uhhh..." She couldn't give it away. 'Use your head, Fern!' "He's uhhh.. uhhh... oh yeah! Gone to collect my things from my apartment!" Kai raised an eyebrow at her, he could see she was struggling with this.

Avoiding a silence, Fern threw one last smile at Kai. "Alright, I'm off to get changed!"

Too late. She had already disappeared into the bedroom, before he got the chance to ask her. This was the perfect time to ask her, so he had to do when she came back into the room.

'What the Blade Warriors wanted...' Kai couldn't deny, that he was concerned at why they had been talking to her. And after that, she seemed so off with him. But this morning, she was fine. If she was upset, she had a good way of hiding it...

Then again, even if Fern did tell him, he might not properly understand. She seemed to hide a lot of things, she might not tell him the whole story. But it was worth a try.

Fern skipped slowly towards bathroom, with a bundle of clean clothes wrapped under her arm. Grabbing the falling sock with her teeth, Fern just about managed to pull open the bathroom door with her hand. Carefully keeping it open using her back, she steadily made it inside, still with the pile of clothes in her hands.

She threw them down in the middle of the bathroom floor, feeling the presence of the door slide away from her, about to slam. 'Hmmmmmm...'

"And there's something else.. the bathroom door is kinda uhhhh... playing up. This morning I nearly got locked in until Max opened it for me. So if you go in, make sure you hold it open with a chair or something... just make sure Tyson isn't around..."

"Argh crap crap crap !" Suddenly remembering what Kenny had told her before, Fern rushed over to the broad bathroom door, diving at it as she tried to catch it before it completely slammed shut.

_SLAM!_

Too late. "OWWWW!" Missing the handle completely, Fern's dive turned into a total disaster. 'Some rugby player I'd be..' She snarled with sarcasm, holding onto her head where she had knocked it off the door in the process.

Jumping up immediately, Fern stood back and stared at the closed bathroom door. There was no point just staring at it, so she tugged at the handle. It seemed solid as a rock! Like someone had stuck it to the wall with super glue!

"Great... just great..." Finally giving up, Fern let go of the handle. "May as well get dressed, anyways."

Quickly slipping on her clothes, Fern moved her nightgown to the side, before making the finishing touches to her image. Pulling up her black, baggy trousers, she glanced around out her surroundings, which she had a feeling, would be there for a long time. It kind of amused her, she had never been stuck in a bathroom before.

'Well, I can't exactly sit in here all day. Tyson's asleep.. he'll never hear me shouting. Ray and Max are out, so is Kenny...' She thought, a bit worried if she was ever going to get out.

A sudden idea hit her mind. Who was the one person who was awake, and most importantly, in the hotel?

"KAIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Fern yelled.

Kai raised an eyebrow, after hearing a quiet squeaky voice boom through the room. "Urgh..." Letting out a soft groan, he guessed he would have to see what she wanted. The scream she let out, wasn't exactly what he would call conversation. She obviously wanted him for something.

Sighing, Kai stood up, revealing a nice dent in the settee where he had been sitting. To his surprise, she wasn't in the bedroom. 'Is this some kind of game?'

"KAI!" There it was again. Now it was clear Fern was in the bathroom, he moved towards the bathroom door, not even daring to enter or even stand too close incase she suddenly charged out and knocked him down or something.

"What?" Asked Kai in a cold tone.

"Oh oh!" Fern was so happy to hear his voice over the other side of the door. It was only quiet, but he seemed to hear her pretty well from all the way in the other room. 'Oh.. that's probably because I yelled...' Fern almost sweatdropped, but refrained when she could hear Kai grunting slightly with irritation.

"Open the door please!" Fern sang happily.

"...Open the door? Why don't you just do it?" Asked Kai. The thought of Ray or anyone walking in on Kai right now made him feel nervous. They might think he's talking to the door or something, which would make him look a like a right doofus.

"I can't open it! Just do it now!" Fern cried, getting a little impatient. Kai rolled his eyes. For whatever reason she wanted him to open the door for, had better be a good one.

Kai hesitated a little, he wasn't exactly over the moon about this. He feared she'd be.. naked or something.

"HEY! I'm not exactly a big fan of talking to doors you know! I'd like to see you..." Fern demanded. 'Oops.. I could of put that better, but oh well.'

"Hn..."Kai gave in, and opened the door about half way. Seeing Fern smiling at him quite scarily, he let go of the handle and stepped into the bathroom.

"ARGH! NO! BAD DOOR, BAD!" Fern cried. " KEEP IT OPEN!"

'What...' Puzzled, Kai raised an eyebrow at her.. slightly odd behavior.

"Grab the goddamn door!" Diving towards the door, Kai jerked as she came flying towards him. At the nick of time he stepped aside, watching her stupidly dive head first into the door.

_SLAM!_

Too late.

As Fern laid on the floor sweatdropping with her head faced the tiled floor, Kai watched amusingly, blinking suspiciously at the red-head. Suddenly pouncing up from the floor, Fern let out a quiet 'ow', rubbing her soft palm against her bump.

"KAI! YOU WERE MEANT TO KEEP THE DOOR OPEN!" Fern yelled, Kai now backing off slightly. She looked mad. Very mad. For a few seconds there, he thought she was going to attack him or something.

Now calming down, Fern stared into the eyes of the phoenix, waiting for his next move.

"Uhhhh... why?" Kai asked in annoyance. " Why did you call me here?"

"Haven't you caught on yet? Go on, try the door!" She ordered, Kai immediately doing as she said.

The blue-haired teen pulled at the handle. The door didn't budge. Kai began to tug harder and harder, his muscles sticking out as he let loose all strength to get the door open.

"Phew..." Kai let go of the handle, letting out a soft gasp. He'd caught on now.

"See?" Fern smiled, smugly. "The doors stuck now!"

"Then why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Kai asked, his veins boiling up slightly with anger. Just great. He was looking forward to enjoying an afternoon alone, and he ended up stuck in a bathroom with a whining girl who didn't know how to stop talking.

Fern shrugged. "Meh. Better than being stuck a lift."

"What! How can you be so calm!" Kai exclaimed, punching his fist in the air towards the ground.

"Woa, calm down! I did warn you!" Fern said, fighting away the smirk which almost got the better of her. 'Heh...'

Kai rolled his eyes, aiming the expression right on Fern. Her moved away from the door, backing up against the wall near the bath. He folded his arms and moved one leg up against the wall as he tried to relax comfortably.

Fern sighed. She could see he wasn't going to be easy. But she wasn't exactly easy herself. Just watching Kai, was enough for her to feel guilty all over again. How could she be so stupid? Getting involved with the Blade Warriors? The last thing she wanted to do was upset Kai.

Now that she thought of it, where were the Blade Warriors from? They were so mysterious. Fern was in the crowd of every battle at this current American tournament, and even DJ Jazzman seemed a little weary of them. They had no background, nothing. Like they just appeared into thin air...

She could remember her first time watching the Bladebreakers battle, only a month ago or so. She didn't know them, in fact she didn't really want to get to know them. While the fangirls were madly cheering, Fern would sit back in the background and observe. Until now, she didn't realize she was kind of depressed back then. But now she had met them and became good friends, all that depression had suddenly wore away. They almost fulfilled her life now. And what scared her the most, was that she didn't want to go back to England. She wanted to stay with them. But when she thought of Orla, she knew she had to go back, to see her friend.

'Who am I kidding? After this American tournament is over, I'm sure they'll want me to buzz off back to England. They'll need to get ready for the World Championship after this. And they'd need all the training they can get, I feel like I'm slowing them down...'

Fern smiled, but with disappointment. 'Haha.. I don't even know these guys that well. Where are they all really from? What's their story?'

Werex entered Fern's mind, knowing she could be of an assistance. 'Miss, I wouldn't worry about it. You haven't known them that long right? Besides, when they are ready, I'm sure they'll tell you. But remember, your relationship with the Bladebreakers only started off as a simple training sessions. Overtime you'll become closer.'

Fern smiled. 'Yeah, and I might even tell them my uhhhhhh... secret... in time. When the time is right.'

The short silence was enough to make Kai grunt in annoyance. It wasn't everyday he got trapped in a bathroom with a girl. It suddenly hit him that now would be a good time to ask her about the Blade Warriors. There was something Kai couldn't quite put his finger on... and he wasn't even sure what it was or who it included. But he knew there was something else.

This new tournament was kind of odd. None of the teams had ever heard of the Blade Warriors before. They shocked everyone in the first round back in Canada when they smashed some kid's blade to pieces in the arena. The audience were astounded, too. Apparently, the mother of the kid went wild about it. Didn't stop the Blade Warriors, though. Every battle they won, they would take the loser's bit-beast with them. And if they were lucky, they'd spare the blade... but sometimes they would destroy it.

According to Mr Dickenson, this is the first tournament the Blade Warriors had been it. It was strange, but Mr D was kind of naive. He didn't think much of it, but obviously, it had made an impression on Kai since it was stuck in his head.

"I saw you the other day. Talking to the Blade Warriors. What did they want?" Kai asked. Fern's face immediately froze, her mouth almost dropping at the question. She quickly sorted herself out, attempting to pull a straight face to Kai. She didn't want to show him she was surprised; he'd guess straight away something was up.

"Ummm... nothing," Fern lied, knowing she couldn't tell him the truth. Now that she thought about it, he must of seen them walking away as he stood on top of that hill. "It's not important.. don't worry about it!" She tried to smile at Kai, but it ended up one big mess. It was more of a guilty smile, like she was hiding something vile. Kai stared at her, watching her having trouble keeping a straight and relaxed face. He sighed heavily, he could see she didn't want to talk about it. Anyway, this wasn't the best of times, as he once thought. They still had to break out of the bathroom, so the questions would have to wait.

Fern blinked slowly and softly. "Hmmm..." Breaking Kai's concentration, he threw Fern a quick gaze as the deep-in thought looking red-head stared at the door as if it was alive. "Maybe if we shout loud enough, Tyson will be able to hear us!"

Kai stared at Fern blankly. He wasn't prepared to shout at the top of his voice, when he knew fine well it was a very dim chance it would wake Tyson up anyway. He continued to watch Fern lean her head against the door, like she was trying to listen to see what was going on at the other end of it.

"TYSON!" She yelled squeakily. Kai scrunched up his eyes slightly, at the sudden loud screechy yell. It echoed all through his body, making him cringe.

"TYSON!" She called again. "GET YOUR BIG FAT ASS OUT OF BED!"

"..." Kai raised an eyebrow at her, hoping she'd see he was annoyed so she'd stop shouting. There was no way Tyson would get up.

"Hey, c'mon Kai, shout with me!" Fern said.

"...No. He won't get up. Why is the door stuck anyway?" Kai asked. He moved towards the door, pushing his way next to it as Fern walked back a little to let him through. Fern watched carefully as Kai examined the door, peeking between the crack of it and looking at it up and down. Kai once again attempted to push it open, only to result in a failure.

"Hmmm... It's only stuck right? Maybe if we ram it down together, it'll open! Should we try it?" Asked Fern, joyfully smirking at Kai like this was some kind of game.

"Hn...I guess," Kai replied simply. Fern began to lead the way towards the back of the bathroom wall, following the deep shine of light coming from the luminous window. It felt great, being caught in the sunlight was warm and comforting. Almost felt like she was in the spotlight, too.

Kai followed, backing up against the wall along-side Fern. He watched her carefully, only until when she would look up at him, he'd glance away and pretend he wasn't staring. Fern smiled at Kai, enjoying the warmth of the great, glorious light which leaked through the double-glazed window. He quickly glanced at her when he felt her staring, seeing her looking as if she was about to start the 100m sprint. She had her left leg forward and right leg back, and hands careful hanging to the side.

"Ready? We'll have a good run up then run into it, okay?" Fern smiled, trying to convince Kai to follow the same starting style as her. Instead, he simply unfolded his arms and faced the bathroom door, staring at it with burning eyes of hate.

"Alright...GO!" A quick and flashy start to go, Kai burst the statue pose and immediately zipped off towards the bathroom door, with his shoulder ready to burst it open. Fern was a little delayed, she didn't expect him to say 'GO' so quick! Still, she was full of energy and tore down the bathroom along-side Kai. She speeded up when she noticed Kai was passing her, though dreading the thought of pain this will cause.

Only faded scenes could be seen ahead as the two literally raced towards the door, their eye contact concentrating so hard they almost forgot to use their shoulders to run into it rather than their faces.

"Here we go!" Fern chirped, as the two of them ran together straight into the bathroom door, causing a loud thump. A sharp pain ran through Fern's shoulder as it hit the door hard. She was sure she heard something crack, but that wasn't on her mind at that very moment. She had almost flew into the door, resulting in her leaping sideways through the impact. Kai hit his shoulder straight off the door, as hard as possible to get it open. His broad muscles blocked most of the pain, only to find himself struggling to keep Fern from falling to the ground. A bit clumsy and dizzy, Fern flopped into Kai's arms, the weight too much for Kai as his aching shoulder thumped like his heart beat.

Carefully letting Fern slip to the floor gently, Kai went down with her, unable to control his balance. Feeling the cold tiled floor rest against her back, Fern opened her shocked and shaken eyes. Staring back into her's, were two bright crimson eyes, hovering over her lightly while hanging onto her sides as he carefully placed her onto the floor so she wouldn't hurt her head as well as her shoulder.

Fern gasped a little, shocked to see him actually helping her to the ground! Not only that, but he was on top of her, almost. A light pink shade of blush spread across her rosy cheeks, darkening her natural glow. The blue-haired teen was knelt down, with one of his knees slightly in between her two knees. He didn't want to suddenly topple over and fall onto her, it would be embarrassing for both of them.

"Kai?" Finally finding her voice again, Fern sprang up her upper body, keeping her legs flat on the tiled floor. Kai was in the way for her to stand up properly, but that didn't bother her. However, having a guy leant over her, did.

"Hn..." Kai grunted softy, standing up suddenly in shock. To his surprise a small red blush crossed his cheeks. He felt a little embarrassed, if not, VERY embarrassed. He had just saved a girl from falling over. Well actually, it was more of an accidental save. She had fallen onto him, only he couldn't keep his balance, so if he didn't do something, he'd be the one falling straight on top of her. And that would just be.. well, you know. The thought of it made Kai blush even deeper, and seeing Fern blush didn't help either.

"KAI! Ummm... I mean Kai..." Blushing deeper due to Kai's constant redness, the very alarmed Fern stood up quickly. She brushed off her clothes, trying to avoid eye contact with him. She finally looked up at him, seeing all of his embarrassment seemed to have washed away. "I guess that didn't work... But I'll have a bruise there now!"

Kai couldn't help but smirk; her constant happy-go-lucky behavior was enough to make anyone smile.

_Kai's POV_

_Even me?_

_She's different, I'll give you that. Hn. That was... an accident._

_Simple as._

_End POV_

Pulling Fern a straight face again, Kai tried to erase the feelings inside of him that were just bursting to come out. Fern glanced at Kai softly, smirking. She bowed her head, feeling very awkward. He had a feeling it was going to a long, long day.

Minutes past, and the next hour on the clock passed. The deadly silence between the two had gotten the better of them. It was very awkward indeed, but with Tyson asleep and Ray, Max and Kenny out shopping for Kai's party, there was only a little chance they'd get out before Ray came back. They'd just have to wait.

After countless minutes of shifting around, Fern finally ended up sat on the toilet seat, twiddling her thumbs with complete boredom. She had never been so bored in her life! But with Kai in the room, it made it a little more interesting.

She stared at him, gazing at him with her green eyes as he leant against the wall opposite herself. As usual, he had his arms folded against his chest, with his eyelids closed. He didn't move; not even a twitch. How could he just stand there and do that. 'He must be so damn patient...'

'Hmm... just sitting on this toilet.. makes me wanna go...' Fern had been needing to go to the toilet for the last half hour, but she couldn't go with Kai in the room... Not at all enjoying the silence, which was just making her need the toilet even more, Fern decided to talk to Kai. She felt like she was going mad, trapped in a bathroom with a guy and the two weren't even talking! With Kai, conversation seemed hard to make, though.

"Noooo..." Fern let out a quiet moan, earning a quick glance from Kai. "I can't believe I'm gonna die in a bathroom! I'm so hungry..."

Kai rolled his eyes, getting back to his staring-at-floor- pose. 'Stupid girl. It's not like she's dying. Typical. And I thought she was different from Tyson.'

After a few more seconds of silence, it was suddenly rattled again, after another chirp from Fern. "Kai...?"

"...What?" Kai groaned, raising his eyebrow at the randomness.

"I need to go..." Fern slipped, now crossing her legs on top of the toilet seat.

"Hn..."

"OH GAWD! I can't hold it, Kai! Cover your eyes, or you'll be scarred for life!"

"WHA? You're not actually going are- Oh boy..."Disturbingly enough, although Kai was totally against it, Fern decided to.. use the toilet anyway. Kai didn't even have enough time to stop her, she was already beginning to lift up the toilet seat.

'What the hell is she doing? URGH- I swear I'm gonna kill Tyson this time- for real!' Alarmed, Kai flung himself behind the curtain shower, becoming a little nervous now. What was she thinking? He surely had never met a girl like.. her before. She just didn't seem to care what anyone thought about her, and he liked her for that.

Not at all amused by her sudden antics, Kai roughly pulled the shower curtain along. He faced the wall, blushing nervously as he tried to keep his mind out of the gutter. It was pretty hard, seen as there was a girl right behind the shower curtain using the toilet.

"TYSON!" Kai boomed at the top of his voice, shouting his sleeping teammate as he nervously stood behind the curtain. It just slipped out, he couldn't help himself. Being stuck in a bathroom with a.. peeing girl felt very, very awkward.

"HEY! Don't shout his name! What if he opens the door and sees me on the toilet?" Fern cried. She smiled to herself, extremely amused by Kai's way of not looking. Hiding behind a shower curtain? Well if you gotta go, then you gotta go. She wouldn't of been able to hold it in any longer anyway, she knew that much. She didn't want to have an 'accident'.

The noise of the chain being pulled sent a flush of relief zip through Kai's body. 'Finally...'

"Alrighty! You can come out now!" Fern giggled. She stood and watched Kai carefully peek through the shower curtain before he came out, gazing around the room, avoiding staring at the toilet.

Fern laughed again. "Hey, I'm serious! I'm done, don't worry!"

Kai flipped open the curtain, sending knife-glares at Fern. He was so nervous and embarrassed, he felt somewhat pissed off at her that some person could make him feel this way.

"Now you can shout Tyson!" Fern smiled, shivering slightly at the icy cold glares she was receiving.

"No way! What do you think you were doing? Who do you think you are?" Kai snapped, wiping Fern's happy smile off her face. Kai stood against the bathroom wall, in his usual pose. Though this time, he stared at Fern, waiting for an answer off her. She could see he was pissed.

"C'mon, Kai! I really needed to go! Girls have a weaker bladder... you guys can hold it in so easily! It was urgent, I didn't want to risk wetting my-"

"...Alright alright!" Kai moaned, stopping Fern from starting a long speech like she was reading out an essay. "You're, immature, I get it. Now, how about we get out of here?"

Fern smiled and nodded, suddenly followed by a loud slamming of a door coming from the main room Tyson was sleeping in. Kai backed away from the door, as both teens turned their heads suddenly and focused on where that door slam had came from.

Faintly, Ray's voice could be heard from the other end. "Hey, I wonder where Fern is!"

Kai and Fern almost sweatdropped with relief. The two teens ran to the door excitedly, glad they could finally get out.

'Dranzer?' Kai asked in his head, trying to get his bird's attention.

'Yes, master Kai?' Asked Dranzer, amused by all of the goings on in the bathroom.

'Remind me never to get trapped anywhere with her again! Especially places where there are no toilets!'

Dranzer sniggered. 'Yeah, I figured.'


	12. Emo Kai?

**AOD83: O' La, people! 0.o Thanks for the reviews guys! Just a few things before we go on.**

**- I'm sorry if you sent me a PM or I reviewed your fic and part of it was missing off. For some reason fanfiction dot net is giving me a hard time and is going haywire on me! So I'm sooo sorry if my PM's or reviews seem... weird. **

**-Lil message for Spirit of Innocence. 0.o Ya, it was me who sent you that PM. My sister was logged in at the time and I didn't realize so I just went straight ahead and wrote the message. Sorry if you got confused! **

**-Next chapter after this one will be delayed. I've already contacted FF about my PM and review problem I'm having but they don't seem to be doing anything about it... so I'll have to find out what the problem is first. :)**

**Fern: Haven't done the disclaimer in a while either. Just to make it perfectly clear, AOD83 does not own Beyblade at all! So if any of you people thought she did, YOU THOUGHT WRONG!**

**AOD83/OUCH/ You hurt my feelings!**

**Kai: Urgh.. Review. Please.**

* * *

**Dance Like No One's Watching**

* * *

**Chapter 12- Emo Kai?**

The blonde teen dumped the pile of heavy boxes and bags straight onto the carpet, letting out a long sigh to go with it. He rubbed his two hands together, finally loving the feeling of being apart from the what it seemed like 10 tons of boxes. He looked up at his enthusiastic team mates, who were all staring at him like he had something on his face.

"What's in the bags?" Kai asked suspiciously. Max wandered his fluorescent eyes over to Ray and Kenny who were stood knowingly behind Kai. Max chattered his teeth together, waiting for Ray and Kenny to give him direction on what he should say. Amusingly enough, Ray and Kenny ran their finger across their necks. Max gulped. They were saying, pretty much tell Kai what was in the bags, and you're in for it.

Max held back his sudden fiery urge to turn around and run out of the room. Fern cracked a smile as she stood nervously rubbing her foot against the top of her other leg. She nodded slowly at Max and pointed her finger at herself, only hoping Max would understand.

The blue-eyed kid quickly half-smiled at Fern, understanding perfectly what she meant. Max gazed up at the very puzzled Kai. "It's all Fern's stuff. We went out to her apartment to get her things... didn't she tell you?" He squeaked, trying to make it sound realistic.

Kai raised his eyebrow slightly with disappointment- for a second there he thought it might of been something more exciting. "Yeah, she did."

Fern's sigh released steadily without her even knowing it. Relieved nothing was revealed, Fern quickly rushed in front of Kai and stood next to Max where the boxes lied. "Don't be mad. I know it seems like a lot of stuff. But I'm just a girl."

"Whatever..." Kai sighed lightly, stepping away from the luminous spot of sunlight which sparked in that main spot in the room. Everyone watched, still with their fists crunched up as Kai walked into the next bedroom.

As he disappeared through the curtains, they all lost grip of their hands, finally relaxing. Max stared at the pile of boxes and plastic bags on the floor, sending them glares despite feeling stupid he was angry at a pile of lifeless bags. But they almost cost him Kai finding out about a lot of things.

Ray sighed, breaking the quick silence. "Alright guys, that was a close one!"

Max turned to Fern. "Now come the questions. How did both you and Kai manage to get stuck the the bathroom? You were lucky it opened easily from the outside!"

"I was the first to get trapped inside. Then Kai opened it with ease... only we weren't quick enough to keep it open I guess." Fern explained, gazing around at each blader, even Tyson who was still sleeping in bed.

"Max, you should of hid the presents before I let them out," Ray said softly, looking at the boxes laid on the floor.

"Yeah, sorry bud. I was a bit excited. I really wanted to see Kai and Fern in there together. So I just threw them anywhere. But hey, it's okay now, right? We've got everything!" Max chirped.

Fern smirked cheekily, bending down and examining the boxes. She sat on her bottom, pulling one of the boxes on to her lap with glee in her eyes. She ripped open the top of it, pulling the cardboard flaps off the box, separating them completely. Wasting no time, Fern excitedly lunged into the box, tearing out the items inside of it one by one.

"Excellent! You've brought everything!" Fern pulled out a pair of pale pink bunny slippers and rested them carefully beside her. Gazing inside the box, she recognized the other things in there too. Her clothes were folded up neatly, along with her own personal shampoo and hairbrush. Fern placed her belongings back into her box, one by one.

"I think that's everything. We bumped into the guy who owns the block of apartments," Ray explained, watching the happy girl rummage through the rest of the boxes. She didn't seem like she was listening to him, but he decided to continue on anyway. "At first he thought we were breaking into your apartment, but we explained to him we were fetching your stuff. Thankfully he believed us. You are staying with us until we all go back home, right? That's what he was convinced into. So he gave back your money."

Fern looked up at Ray, suddenly loosing interest in her boxes of items. "Oh? I didn't think I'd get it back. He seemed so tight when I met him."

The masculine feline rummaged through his pocket, taking out a pile of green dollar bill notes and sitting them on his hand. "Is this right? 50 dollars?"

Fern smiled joyfully. "Yes!" She sprang up happily from the floor and bounced over to Ray. He nervously felt his legs weaken as she came flying towards him. Max and Kenny amusingly watched on as Fern thanked Ray and took the money out from his hand.

"So, how much do you want?" Asked Fern. Her serious face made the Bladebreakers worried- they couldn't take money off her! To Ray, that would be called Taking-money-from-a-poor-girl which just wouldn't be right. Max and Kenny were quite surprised too.

Ray closed his eyes, and shook his head while holding out his hand in a 'stop' sign. "No no no. You don't have to do that."

"I insist! I'm one more mouth to feed if I'm staying here, right? And you've been so good to me," Fern took a 20 dollar bill and held it out to Ray. "C'mon. This should just about pay for me, plus the expenses for Kai's party. It wouldn't be fair."

Max and Kenny ran beside Ray, joined in with the shaking of heads. "That's kind of you, Fern. But no. We mustn't," Kenny smiled, watching Fern's serious face turn into a slight grin.

"Hmmm... I have more money, don't worry about that! Come on, at least let me thank you in some way!" Fern threw back her hair with her other hand, then placed it on her hip gently.

Max shook his head. "Heehee, Fern, you're so nice. We can't take it, though! Money doesn't really show much thanks, does it? I'll tell you what! Just promise me ONE thing!" Empathizing the word 'ONE', Max squeezed his eyes shut happily, immediately flinging them open again to see Fern had lowered her hand.

"What?" Asked Fern curiously.

"Promise me you'll be our friends forever!"

What? What type of promise was that? After giving Fern free Beyblade lessons, tips, taking her in, caring for her, always being there for her when she needed them and he gave her a promise like that? To her, it was a matter of life and death. 'Promise' didn't quite cover it. She'd stay friends with them anyway as long as she lived. Over the past few days, she had learnt to respect and be grateful for the friends she had. This was one promise she wasn't going to ever break.

"Haha, of course!" Fern sang, throwing her arms around Kenny and Max's shoulder, pulling them both together wildly. Ray was stuck in the middle unfortunately for him, as Kenny and Max's head squashed up against his only while Fern's grip became tighter. It was a lot easier hugging them all at once than hugging them each at a time.

"Errrrhhh..." Ray let out a soft muffled scream, struggling to hug her back due to the very tight hug.

"Arghhh!" Max and Kenny cried a little kid-ish moan as Fern continued to squeeze harder. Finally letting go of the grip, Fern stood back and examined each of the bladers who were rubbing their necks and enjoying the sudden release of air. Fern just giggled at the three of them.

"Okay..." Ray smiled shakily. "We've each bought Kai a little something." Max glanced over at the seating area, indicating they should all sit down to talk about this. Each blader followed Max as he jumped over the back of the sofa, landing directly onto his back. Ray sat with Fern on the settee which directly faced the TV, leaving Kenny to sit opposite Max.

Max, Kenny and Fern gazed at Ray, waiting for him to continue on. Realizing they were waiting for him, Ray crossed his legs to get comfortable while he explained to Fern what he wanted her to do.

"Tyson hasn't got Kai a present. I know the two don't get on..." Ray began, as Max rolled his eyes at the raven-haired teen's words. "...But he needs to get Kai something." Ray lowered his voice into a squeaky mode, being careful to how loud he spoke so Kai wouldn't hear from in the next room. The continuous faint snoring of Tyson could be heard from the background. It didn't disturb them, but after a while it was starting to get on Fern's nerves. She had been stuck inside of the hotel for hours having to listen to him snore his brains out. Hopefully the light would finally wake him up, but as she listened to Ray talk, she had a feeling what he had in store for her involved Tyson; and not sleeping, either.

"Uh-huh..." Fern said, quite interested in what Ray was trying to say.

Ray continued. "And he's no good at picking presents. At all."

"Ahhh. I see where this is going," Fern boasted all of a sudden, immediately after Ray had finished speaking.

Ray nodded and smiled at Fern, hoping she'd approve. "Right. Great. And just make sure Tyson doesn't buy Kai something we have already bought him."

Fern blinked blankly at Ray, confused. Ray pulled Fern a skeptical look, unsure as to why she looked so puzzled. Max smiled all of a sudden, catching on as to why she was confused.

"How can she make sure Tyson buys something we haven't bought? She hasn't even seen our gifts yet!" Max chirped, quickly launching off the settee and pouncing on the plastic bags which were sprawled out across the carpet floor. Ray and Fern peeked over the edge of the settee, seeing Max rummage through the bags. The blonde brought out 3 items.

"So what have you got him?" Asked Fern curiously. Max smiled and jumped back on to his separate sofa, sprawling out the gifts across the surface of the settee. He held up a small plastic see-through box. Inside, was a circle of blue facepaint, along with a brown brush to go with it.

"This is what I've got him! He never goes out-side without this stuff on, so I guess it was a good idea," Max sang happily, passing the facepaints over to Ray so he could let Fern take a look. She held the blue facepaints close to her face, examining the item carefully.

Max picked up the next present, holding it firmly in his palms. Kenny let out a soft squeal. "This is what I bought him!" Kenny waved to his present happily.

In the teen's hands, was a small dark blue radio. However, it wasn't just any ordinary radio. It was it the shape of a beyblade! The bit-chip, attack ring, weight disk and blade base were all there, nicely painted on with a smooth deep sapphire blue. The shape itself was rounded, almost exactly like the real thing, except a much bigger version. The light reflected off the gorgeous-smelling paint, creating a blue shadow behind it. The control buttons were spread diagonally around the radio, along with a small aerial sticking up on top. However, just by looking at it each one of them knew it would be way to small to use if they were going to have an inside disco.

"I got it from the Gadget shop. It was new in, although very rare," Kenny began. Fern smiled in amazement as Max passed her the beaming object. Kenny watched her examine it closely.

"It's gorgeous!" Fern chirped, showing off her teeth while tugging her mouth into a wide grin.

"Yeah, isn't it?" Kenny smiled smugly.

"Hey..." Fern placed the radio down onto the sofa surface next to her, while looking up around at all of the boys. "Speaking of radios... did you manage to get the one from my apartment? It should of been resting on the sideboard."

Ray smiled. "Yeah, we got it. But keep your voice down, he's only in there remember?" Reminded Ray, stage whispering as he gazed continuously at the curtain which led into the next room, making sure Kai didn't suddenly fly in.

Fern nodded. "Sure vamps!" She smiled sweetly at Ray. The feline pulled Fern a skeptical look.

"Vamps?" Ray asked, raising both his eyebrows. No one had ever called him that before. She sure had odd nicknames...

"Well, yeah. You have the teeth for it!" Chirped Fern.

There was a quick unwanted silence between them. Ray was still watching on skeptically, while Kenny and Max were trying to fight their sudden urge to laugh at Ray and his new 'nickname.'

"Ummm... so, what about you Ray? What have you got Kai?" Asked Fern nervously.

"Ah," Ray's face brightened up a little. "Show her, Maxie!"

Max smiled cunningly, picking up a median-sized dark orange bag. It just rested in his palms nicely. The soft sewed material was pretty visible, but Fern guessed it just added to the effect of it.

Fern suddenly smirked to herself. Kai wouldn't carry a bag around with him! But by the look on Ray's cheeky face, there must be a little something more to it than that. "What is it?" Asked Fern firmly.

"It's a bag," Ray began.

"No shit Sherlock!" Fern interrupted sarcastically.

"Hey! Let me finish!" Laughed Ray, amused slightly by her impatience. "This was also from the Gadget shop. It's to keep all of you beyblade bits and pieces inside. Cool, huh? But this color, represents..."

"...A phoenix?"

"Exactly. There was one for each mythical creature, along with a poem to describe each one." Ray took the bag from Max's hand, and opened one of the pouches which surrounded the outside of the bag. He pulled out an attached piece of material with purple writing sewed on to it. Fern leant over Ray's shoulder, and rested her elbow on his shoulder.

Ray began to read off the tag.

_Beautiful, glorious and sacrificing self for renewal, _

_you build a pyre and set yourself ablaze. For the _

_sake of self. Red bird of Fire you come forth through_

_your ashes a new bird shedding the old self which no _

_longer is needful. You embrace your new strength and_

_fly to the heights of the sky to the city of the sun and_

_give the ashes unto the alter of the sun god for your_

_immortality. Embrace yourself for you are a child of_

_the sun and will live eternal through birth, death, and_

_renewal! The spirit never dies!_

"That's catchy," Commented Max.

"I think it's a great present!" Smiled Fern. Ray smiled back at her, now noticing the strange glow in her eyes. A tint of red and gold shone in her eyes, around her green orb which surrounded her pupil.

Fern stared back at Ray, seeing he was in some sort of trance where he just had to stare at her. "What? Something on my face?"

"OH! No! Sorry, I mean... nothing!" Ray blushed a faint shade of pink, and quickly looked away from her.

"Anyway..." Kenny began, feeling a little awkward. "How about you head off Fern? We have training this evening."

"Sure!" Fern chirped, jumping up from the sofa. "I'll get Kai something too."

"Are you sure?" Asked Ray, not convinced.

"Yeah! Totally! Of course I am. I think I know what I'm going to get him already. But I got one question, first. Is Kai emo?"

"...0o What? Emo?" Ray boasted, swinging around on the sofa to face Fern.

"Yeah, you know. Emo. Different from goths in many ways. They-"

"-I know what one is! But ummm... why..?"

"'Cos I have a great idea for a gift! Anyway, it doesn't matter. He seems pretty emo to me."

"Who seems pretty Emo?" A very familiar voice screeched.

Startled, they all swung around and found themselves facing Tyson, who was now wide-awake and jolted up in bed. "SHHHHHHHHHHH!" Fern cried, zipping her finger over her lips.

"What? Why?" Asked Tyson firmly, still not lowering his voice. For some reason, he didn't seem to hear himself talking in such a loud, booming voice. Fern ran over to his bed, bouncing on to it and diving onto Tyson. She glued her palm to him mouth, letting out angry growls with annoyance.

"Keep your goddamn voice down!" Fern snarled quietly, while being slightly kicked in the stomach by Tyson as he struggled to get out of her grip. An advantage of attacking helpless boys in the morning was, that they didn't have enough energy to fight back.

Max giggled as the sight of Fern and Tyson battling together on the bed. Fern was laid over him, only giving him enough space to breathe. Disadvantage for Kai.

"Listen up, boy!" Fern said jokily, but still kept her straight face to show she was being serious. "Keep your voice down! Get up, we're going shopping!" Fern let go of Tyson. She sat up on to her knees, smirking at the sight of him looking scared stiff. His face was so pale, he was as white a ghost.

"Huh!" Moaned Tyson, sitting up into an upright position. "You could of just asked me normally! But anyway, why?"

"Well," Fern began, grabbing hold of Tyson's hand. All of a sudden she pulled him towards her, making him fly right off the side of the bed, back-side first.

"OW! Uh.. I mean, ow.." Tyson whispered sending threat glares at Fern.

Max shrugged. "Meh. At least he's up now!"

"Anyway, I'll explain to you on the way! Just grab some money, kay?" Fern smiled. Tyson's face was now starting to fill up with color again. He stood up steadily, showing off his blue PJ's.

"Ummm... guys..." Tyson's face suddenly dropped. His face crinkled up and he twiddled his thumbs like he'd been a naughty toddler.

'What's he done now?' Fern sighed.

"...Ummm... you know me..."

Max raised his eyebrow. "C'mon, bud? What is it?"

Tyson gulped hard. "...Can I have breakfast first?"

Everyone sweatdropped. "ARGHHHHH!"

Half an hour later...

"AHAHAHAHAHA! KAI? EMO! YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING, FERN!" Tyson roared, skipping with a steady pace down the broad, luminous street. The slushy roads and pavements were slowly drying up due to the large firey orb in the sky, stealing the snow from the ground and drying up all possible chilly air. Many busy people trailed past, the loud batter of screaming, excitement and laughter filled the cold NYC air. Best of all, they all felt so lucky to be staying in their favourite part of New York. New York, Manhattan, one of the most beautiful and exciting places in the world. The statue of liberty was stood lonely at Liberty Island in the mouth of Hudson River in the New York harbour, to welcome all wanderers, travellers, and of course Americans back to their home.

The glowing clean sky watched over the city, as the sun gave off a comforting glow which set upon every single person in Manhattan. Fern felt glad she didn't wear her coat, the sun was doing a fine job at keeping her warm.

Various people stared at the hysterical Tyson as he stompped down the street, tears rolling down his face as he held tightly onto Fern. Unstable to even stand up properly, Tyson collapsed into Fern's arms.

"Urgh!" Fern sighed lightly "Tyson, shush! People are looking at us!"

"Aha.. Oh come on Fern! it was funny!" Tyson giggled, finally pulling himself back into a walking pace. "Anyway, I don't want to get Kai anything! Waste of money if you ask me!" Tyson said, mumbling the last bit so Fern wouldn't hear. Sadly, she did.

"Hey! He's your team mate!" Fern stammered slightly, as a group of people separated Tyson and Fern from each other. Sliding in between them, Fern managed to stroll through and meet with Tyson again.

"Damn, this place is packed!" Tyson pointed out.

"Well, it is New York, Tyson! Come on, there's bound to be some cool stuff in the Gadget shop!"

"No way! Not the Gadget shop! You won't find emo stuff there!" Teased Tyson.

"Christ, you never get bored of the same joke do you? Fine, I'll let you choose a store! But don't get Kai anything.. well you know.. which he wouldn't real appeal to or bond with."

"Heh. Bond with? You afraid I was gonna get him a doll or something?"

Tyson's eyes suddenly glowed.

Fern rolled her eyes. 'Joy. He's got an idea. Oh wait. NO-!'

"Tyson! No! Absolutely no dolls!" Fern cried.

"Awww. It was worth a try. I'd love to see Kai's face."

"Yeah, and you'll have no face left after he's finished with you!"

"Umm anyway... how about Religious Sex?"

"EXCUSE ME?" Fern almost jumped out of skin. Those words just didn't seem right. They scared her. Nervously staring at Tyson in the eyes, she was puzzled to see him gazing back with a serious, yet confused look on his face.

"Religious Sex... you said I could choose the store we go to right? It's a gothic store." Tyson explained, still walking along-side the very startled fire-head.

"Oh.. OH! Heh.. I knew that!" Fern gasped, rubbing her hand against her sweaty forehead. She had never felt her heart race so fast. She thought it was going to jump out of her mouth! 'What in the world.. who would call a shop that! Seriously! Oh boy...'

"Okay!" Tyson yawned.

After an hour of scurrying around the city trying to find this certain shop while the constant moaning of Tyson saying he was hungry really getting to Fern's head, the two finally found the shop. Bright purple and pink dresses were stood looking out at people through the window glass. Fern loved them; they looked so silky smooth, compete with stitched black crosses and tassels handing off the ends and thin, tight straps that would lean over the shoulders. Even Tyson had found something he liked. A long, black trench coat was hung up in the window, pure leather which would be tied with strings and a large black buckle belt. The two excited teens rested their hands against the glass, drooling over the clothes. On the floor there was even small ornament skulls and necklaces, so this place didn't sell just clothes!

Tyson and Fern looked at each other and grinned, and rushed towards the complete black door. They were beat to opening the door, as it began to open from the inside.

Fern raised her eyebrow, as two very attractive looking girls stepped out of the raven-colored door, looking very 'bling'.

Fern looked across at Tyson, who was staring wide-eyed at the two dressed-up girls. Fern raised an eyebrow at the almost-drooling teen. 'Why is he staring so hard?'

"Oh no..." Tyson cried. Fern could see she wasn't going to get Tyson's attention even if she stood in front of him. What was so interesting about these girls? Fern looked back up at the girls. She could tell now they weren't women. They were both about the same age as herself, if not, younger.

Fern examined the girls' shocked faces, as they both stared openly at Tyson.

"Uhhh..." Fern broke the silence. "Do you like, know each other?"

_Tyson's POV_

_Brown hair, ruby eyes... slightly changed outfits and looks..._

_Pink hair, yellow eyes... dressed like a witch. Good Lord._

_End POV_

Tyson blinked his eyes repeatedly like it was some sort of dream. But it wasn't. Oh no. It was real, alright.

"HILARY! MARIAH!" Tyson cried, grabbing both girl's wrists and quickly pulling them aside out of the way of the door.

"Hey? It's you!" The brown-haired spunky looking girl cried.

Fern followed the crowd, standing next to the very happy Tyson with her arms crossed. She looked quite angry. "Can someone Pul-easeee tell me what's going on here?"

"Oh yeah- Fern, meet Hilary Tatibana and Mariah! Hilary, Mariah, this is my good friend, Fern... Umm... " Tyson stuttered. That's right! He didn't even know Fern's surname! Oh, he looked such a fool right now. Fern bowed her head slowly, a little embarrassed. He descried her as 'a good friend' and he didn't even know her surname? She only blamed herself though. She should of told them sooner. She didn't even know their surnames...

'No, wait. Kai told me his. Hiwati? No that wasn't it.. Hitawi? No... Hiwatari! That's it!'

Fern's face suddenly bounced and brightened up after remembering Kai's surname. Tyson looked over at her like she was weird.

"Hey, Fern. Pretty name!" Mariah smiled.

Fern simply nodded. She would have never of thought Tyson would be friends with goths. Mariah was wearing a dark pink top, the ends trailing slightly over her stomach which seemed to flare out. She wore red and black bangles on each arm, which matched the color of her red and black striped flared jeans. _Very _hip.

Hilary gave Fern a slight nod and wave. Hilary's dress sense seemed to appeal to Fern more. She wore black trousers, which were held together with a brown belt which was covered in crosses and skulls. She wore purple combat boots which were tied very quickly and rushed. Her top was purple, pink and black striped long ways with pink tassels hanging off the ends of her top.

By the look on Tyson's face, it would almost seem like he hadn't seen them like this either.

"Question!" Tyson cheered lively. "Why are you dressed like that?"

'So that proves it then.' Fern smirked to herself. Tyson must be knew to all this fashion stuff. And it seemed like he'd known these girls for a while, too.

Hilary smirked. "We're testing! The fashion in New York is great! So far we've been skaters, sporty-girls, emos and even grannies!"

Tyson raised an eyebrow. "Grannies?"

Fern's slight giggle made all heads turn to her. "Hehe. I like your style!"

"Thanks!" Beamed Mariah. Tyson's face looked somewhat disgusted; the girls could see he didn't like that style, not one bit. Especially on them, anyway.

"Hmph! So I guess you girls are gonna be goths now, huh?" Tyson murmured.

"No way! As I said before, we're T-E-S-T-I-N-G! We're just trying out all these different fashions!" Hilary smirked.

"Uh-huh..." Tyson moaned. Finally snapping out of his staring phase, there was a question which he was surprised he didn't ask first. What were these two even doing here? Since when did these become best friends? If Mariah saw Ray, she'd no doubt kill him. Ray had left the White Tigers again just to join in with this American tournament. Although Ray assured The Bladebreakers the White Tigers were happy about it, Tyson didn't think so. Known Mariah, she would of been totally against the idea. And what about Hilary? Wasn't she supposed to be still at school?

"Umm... not to sound too bold, but what are you doing here?" Asked Tyson, rubbing the back of his head.

Hilary smiled. She was hoping he'd ask that. "I'm glad you asked! We've come to watch your final battle!"

"What?" Argued Tyson. Was she serious?

Mariah raised an eyebrow. "Sure, why not? Myself and The White Tigers wanted to support Ray. Hilary had managed to get out of school too, so we said she could come along with us."

Fern stood in the background and observed the chattering of the three teens. It seemed Tyson didn't think much of them... or so far, anyway.

"But.. but.. Oh what the hell! I LOVE YOU GUYS!" Tyson beamed, bouncing onto the two girls.

"Hey!" Hilary and Mariah called. "Watch the black nail-varnish!" Tyson ignored the girl's plea, and embraced them both in to a tight hug.

Fern stood back and was smiling like mad. 'How cute.'

"Alright, get off now!" Screamed Mariah. And with that, Tyson let go of a very breathless pair of girls.

"For a second there, I thought you were angry at us!" Hilary said.

"No way! I was just surprised!" Tyson smiled.

"Hmmm.. I'm got an idea!" Fern smirked. Tyson, Hilary and Mariah all gazed at Fern who was stood smugly, embracing her elbows together cunningly. "You girls know Kai, right?"

Hilary nodded. "How could I.. Umm I mean we, forget!" Hilary stuttered, flushing slightly as her slight slip of the tongue. Fern's eyes widened a little.

'How could I.. Umm I mean we, forget?' Fern repeated back Hilary's interesting words. Was there something between Hilary and Kai? 'Wait.. what does it matter..?'

Fern fought back her sudden urge to walk away and leave. "Urgh.." Fern rubbed his forehead. What did it matter? But hearing those words stuck to her like fly paper. They could just mean nothing. 'Of course they mean nothing!'

"Err... Fern?" Fern quickly glanced up to see a very concerned looking Tyson staring at her. "You were saying?"

"Oh yeah! Well, it's Kai's birthday on Monday..." Fern began.

"Haha, we know. That's partly why... _we_ came back. We wanted to wish him a happy birthday and stuff!" Smirked Hilary while rubbing her dark black eyeshadow on her eyelid.

Tyson knew where this was going. And he thought it was a great idea. After all, how long had it been since they had a proper party together? Even with the White Tigers there, it would be interesting. _Very_ interesting... But instead of interrupting this time, Tyson was just going to let Fern finish.

"We're holding a surprise party for him! I think you two should come, too!" Fern beamed. She looked at Mariah's surprised face. "You should bring your team, too!"

Suddenly, there was a silence. Mariah and Hilary thought is was fairly odd at first. Who was this Fern exactly? Tyson had never mentioned her before, that's for sure. But the thought of having a party created a playful emotion inside their hearts. It would be nice to get together again.

"SURE!" Hilary smiled happily. "Haha!" She let out a girlish giggle and jumped up in to air with excitement, throwing her fist up with her.

Tyson and Fern smiled. "Great!" They both yelled together.

"Mariah?" Hilary turned to her feline of a friend. Fern noticed two small fangs peek out from under her top lip. She smiled suddenly. 'Maybe she's related to Ray in some way? From what I know, I'd say she was a Neko-Jin. Wow, I've just realized! Ray must be one too!'

"Why not!" Mariah purred, now joining the rest of the guy and gals and tightened a heavy grin on her face.

"Alright! Gimme five!" Tyson yelled, shooting his arm up into the air. Mariah and Hilary leant forward and slapped his hand back, with another 'Alright!' To go with it.

"Fern? C'mon!" Tyson grinned cheekily, holding his hand up high for Fern to give him a high-five. Fern reached her arm up high and collided it with Tyson's, slapping it as hard as she could on purpose.

"E..Excelle..tt..." Tyson stuttered, attempting to keep a straight face. Fern almost giggled when she saw Tyson rub his palm gently from the slap. She even noticed Hilary and Mariah were giggling a little, too.

"But remember! It's secret! So don't tell Kai! Come around on the evening, okay? I've got it all planned out! First we'll watch a movie, play with silly string, watch more movies, eat, dance, eat, dance, watch a bit more of a movie, go out to the arcades and go see the lights in the Times Square, come back, eat, go out again-"

"Tyson!" Laughed Fern. "You really have got it all planned out, huh? We won't fit all that in to one night!"

Mariah giggled. "Maybe we should save going out on the town for another night, kay? We could all go out together! Wouldn't it be great!"

"One problem. Kai. I mean you're off training now, right? What's the chance he'll give you more time off?" Asked Hilary. Fern and Tyson sighed. She was right. There was no chance they'd get a good night out with Kai. Besides, a night out meant forgetting all of your worries. And that suited Fern pretty well...

"Don't worry!" Fern beamed suddenly. "Leave it to me!"

Hilary raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Fern's eyes lit up. "Oh yes. Don't worry about it!"

_Hilary's POV_

_It's nice to see Tyson is getting girlfriends and stuff... but I'm not sure about this one._

_Tyson's grandpa would probably approve of her, 'cos she seems bubbly like him..._

_Her eyes... they are strange. Like I could start in to them for hours, and get lost in the color._

_There's something different about this one._

_End POV_

"Whatever, guys. We'll let you two love birds do whatever you were doing. I'll let my team know I saw you, okay? Byeee!" Mariah sang happily, slowly trailing off as Hilary gave each blader a quick wave goodbye, then ran off to catch of with Mariah.

Tyson and Fern watched the two girls run off into the city, probably for more 'Fashion Testing'. Tyson turned to Fern and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Love birds?" He asked quite enthusiastically. Fern rolled her eyes and grabbed Tyson's wrist.

"Never mind that! We still have to get Kai a pressie!" Squeaked Fern, dragging Tyson into the Gothic Shop they were supposed to of been in ages ago until Mariah and Hilary showed up.

Meanwhile, Ray, Max and Kenny were tidying up the bags of items for Kai's birthday party. Max carefully slipped the bags under Tyson and Kenny's double bed. He shifted the messy quilt over to the other side of the bed as he shoved the bags underneath as carefully as he could. Standing back, the bags were pretty noticeable. And since there was a big, fat chunky radio inside of one, it meant room might just be a problem.

Max held the bags again, about to pull them out. He felt a slight tug at his arm. "Wait!" Ray said, slowly letting go of his arm. "Don't take them out. We can hide them by covering them with the duvet."

Standing up straight again, Max let Ray pull the bed sheets across the bed and tidy it up a little. The sides of the duvet were just about long enough to cover the bags. Ray stood up and stepped back, sliding his hands together like he'd just finished a dirty job.

"Perfect!" Max smiled.

"Do you think Kai is emo?" Asked Kenny out of the blue.

Ray raised an eyebrow. "No, Chief. I don't label, man."

"Huh? I'm sure Fern was just kidding," Suggested Kenny due to Ray's serious expression.

"Oh I know that. Just I don't label," Explained Ray.

Kenny shrugged. "Okay then."

Back into the Religious Sex Gothic store...

"Fernnnnnnnnnn can we go yet? You've been in here for five minutes already! I'm bored-" Tyson groaned, holding his now rumbling stomach. "-And hungry!"

"Just wait, Tyson!" Fern pleaded, squeezing past a group of people. The store made Tyson feel somewhat depressed. Dark purple walls, deep, rich red curtains, full with chunky cross chains, mysterious dark, but beautiful clothing. There was stacks of shelves which contained ornaments of skulls, dragons and keyrings.

Tyson sighed, and followed Fern towards a small stack of shelves where no body was stood. She didn't really know where she was going, she was just trying to find a place to look where there were no people stood around. It was pretty packed, and surprisingly not everyone in the shop wore black eyeliner. There were people dressed just pretty casually; T-shirts, Coats, bottoms. It was great seeing so many people interested in this type of stuff; and although Tyson didn't mind some of the merchandise in store himself, he was very bored, and hungry. Shopping wasn't really his thing.

Fern took interest in one particular shelf stacked with goods. There was beautiful open boxes, with something different inside of each one. Fern scrolled around, checking out each box. Rings, necklaces... 'Na. Kai won't like this stuff. But damn, they are bloody gorgeous!'

"Nice.." Tyson whispered, now joining Fern.

"I know! Gorgeous, aren't they?" Smiled Fern.

The excited red-headed glanced up and down the shelf. There was lots of unusual things... but they were all pretty normal, really. Rings were sold all over the place.

'Hmmmm...'

A small, rich, blue velvet box caught Fern's eye. It was in the shape of a rectangle, but it had curved edges and a circular lid. It seemed to sparkle, and stand out from all the other boxes. It was open like the rest, and had a dark red cushion popped into it. A gorgeous sparkle of light repeatedly flickered. She couldn't quite make out what was sat on the cushion, but no doubt, it was beautiful if it was this shiny. And the light seemed to take a shine to it. A red shadow crept onto the shelf, reflecting off the mystery object inside the box.

Tyson caught Fern's wandering eye and watched her slowly walk up to the box at the other end of the shelf. Fern's eyes flashed with glee as she stared at the beauty that lived inside the box.

A luminous, mystical, red metal fire phoenix stole the spotlight, resting on the mini cushion as it awaited it's new owner. The feathers were solid; although they still looked as magical and rare as the real thing. Every single detail was on there, from the beak, the eyes, the claws. It stood out among the dark room, as the shine illumed perfectly. Attached to the bird, was a thick, silver ring which had small clip on the end of it. It seemed like it would have to be attached to something, like a belt.

Fern smiled with delight. She had found the perfect gift.


	13. The Letter, the Kiss and the Discovery

**Max: Yeppies, thanks for the reviews! Sniffs sugar Boy, that was good... **

**Fern: Frosties with extra sugar on is good!**

**AOD83: Mmmm... yes it is... I mean NO! I mean.. whatever! Umm just a little question. What's your favourite chapter so far? Just wondering!**

**Fern: I know what mine is! Chapter 11- Bathroom Madness! I'd even do I replay of that one!**

**Tyson: Oh? IS THAT 'COS KAI GOT TRAPPED IN THE BATHROOM WITH YOU?**

**Fern: o.o NO! **

**Tyson: Is too!**

**AOD83: Shut upppp! And ummm I'm sorry about this chapter. It is very very crap. I just couldn't think of many ideas for how to go about this one and how to write it. I tried to write it the best I could but I've got a lot on my mind lately and I haven't been able to concentrate very well.. but umm.. yeah... please review and be as harsh as you want! And also... please READ AND REVIEW _Boy's Are Stupid_ by Spirit Of Innocence! It's a TyXHil One-shot and tis awesome!**

* * *

**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 13- The Letter, the Kiss and the Discovery**

Finally. Alone.

There was many things to worry about. In fact, Fern had almost lost track of them all. And it didn't help when for some reason Kai kept creeping his way into her thoughts for no particular reason. But that's besides the point. She always thought about her friends. To the simplest things, of wondering what he was thinking about, or what he thought of her, or even what colour underwear he was wearing. None of it seemed to make sense. Did she... have a crush on him? It was totally natural of course, but she wasn't exactly sure. She thought about him more often than any of the other bladers, but in different ways. She'd never felt so strange before. It was all very peculiar to her.

That wasn't all that was bothering her. The evil that lurked squashed underneath her clothes in the drawers scared her almost to death. Black Pele. Accordingly, the most powerful and destructive blade ever made, which holds one of the most deadliest bit-beasts ever to be known. Why did she keep it? Why didn't she just throw it away and forget about?

'Because I just can't! That's why!' Fern rubbed her sudden aching temple, gently sliding her fingers across her forehead to try and sooth the vicious pain.

For seconds, Fern stared motionless at the drawer where she had hid the blade. It was almost like she couldn't look away. Like she wanted to stare at the blade. To feel it's power... and experience it.

She felt like she was going crazy. What made this blade so superior to Black Dranzer? She had heard many stories of Black Dranzer, that it was the ultimate destroying machine. But that was the only problem; it wasn't a machine! It was a simple spinning-top! And the thought of one of those plastic things being able to control her mind made her think that pigs could fly!

'If I just saw it... and held it for a little while, that wouldn't hurt... would it?' The flaming haired female felt a sudden urge to rip the drawer off and stroke the blade like mad. Like it was a dog. Like it was alive!

'NO! What's wrong with me? There's.. something in.. my head...' Angry, Fern thumped her fist down on the surface of the set of draws hard, upset over her confusion. She knew perfectly well this 'Black Pele' bit-beast was inside her muddled head. But she couldn't fight it. Temptation was too great.

She felt two-faced. Literally. She could practically hear her voice talk to herself in her head, telling her to use the blade. She always wanted to be a good blader.. but being the best was even better. There was nothing more superior than the 'best'. There was nothing beyond that. And that made her feel, so great. But weak, and the same time.

'Fern!' A very worried Werex entered Fern's mind. 'The blade... it's destroying you, miss. Every time you think about it, the bit-beast enters your mind, right?'

"But Werex! I can't help but not think about it! It's so.. beautiful... to be powerful...' Fern trailed off towards the end, and began another staring-phase at the drawer.

"Miss! No! Just think about your new friends! Ray. Tyson. Max. Kenny. And of course, Kai! Think about them! As long as the blade is living under the same roof as them, they are not safe! And neither are you!'

"You're right..." Fern whispered quietly. She began to hesitantly open the drawer. She never felt so scared in her whole life. What if she launched it here and now? Better to ask if the Bladebreakers had a death wish, first.

Carefully lifting up her layers of clothes, she could hear the blade being knocked about under the clothing as she lifted the pile up. She closed her eyes, and quickly threw her clothes onto the double bed she was sat on. She tried to avoid total eye contact with the orange and black blade.

A flight of a hot stream of liquid ran around her body like an after-meal of hot chilli. Her headache thumped under her skin, as her heart raced like she had just had the biggest fright of her life. Slowly opening her eyes, she became face to face with the rattling blade inside the wooden drawer.

It was truly out of this world. It was so small. The smallest of things could do so much damage. And the biggest of things could usually mend things. Like her heart. Werex still knew, deep inside Fern had the biggest heart ever. There was a slight crack in it, where she would now and again slip up. But eventually it would mend. However this time, Werex knew something stronger would have to mend it. Like a certain team. Or person.

'Fight it! You can do it! Resist! You don't really want it! An evil spirit has took over your mind, Fern! She isn't really apart of you! She doesn't care about you! Don't do as she says!' Werex cried.

Fern's green eyes lit up like a cat's luminous eyes at night. She furiously snatched the blade from inside of the drawer and tightened it up in her hand. Werex observed, making sure she didn't do anything stupid.

She opened her hand slowly, revealing the deadly blade sat in her palm. She stared at it, like it was piece of dirt. But it was so beautiful, at the same time.

'It's evil, Fern. Don't let her fool you.' Werex assured.

_Fern's POV_

_I can't keep my eyes off it. So... beautiful. It feels almost magical. It's like it's staring back at me..._

_Right now I can hear Werex telling me not to. But I can't hear her properly... it feels like a crowded room full of people..._

_But... I can't. I mustn't. For the good of... everyone._

_Urgh... part of me wants to launch it! No! I can't do that!_

_But there is something I must do..._

_End POV_

'Werex... I'm going to meet up with the Blade Warriors again...' She told Werex softly. 'And tell them the DEAL'S OFF!'

'Splendid! You do whatever you think is right!' Werex beamed with happiness, relieved she had fought the temptation this time.

"Hey, Fern!" A familiar voice chirped. Fern swung around in shock, to find Kenny stood in the door-way holding Dizzi under his arms. He was smiling at her waiting for a reply back from her.

"Uh! He-y Ken!" Fern stuttered nervously, immediately throwing the blade back into the draw. Kenny began to walk further to her. Startled, Fern literally threw her clothes back in to the draw untidily, then slammed it shut with her foot.

"Uh... what are you doing?" Asked Kenny, who was now standing in front of her.

Fern found it hard to keep eye contact. She wasn't such a good liar, after all. Saying whatever came to her head first, Fern ran her fingers through her hair to try and think straight.

"I was tidying my draws out," Fern said, while attempting to smile. She failed much to Kenny's concern.

"Uh-huh..." Kenny muttered, sitting down beside her. He opened up his laptop, and rested it on his quadriceps as he continued to speak. "Do you mind if I store your stats on here?"

Fern nodded her head, her heart beat finally slowing down. "Sure, Kenny." Fern fished in to her pocket and brought out her blade, then handed it to Kenny to look at.

She looked at Kenny skeptically. Store stats? She had agreed to it and she wasn't even sure what he meant. 'He wants to take my data and use it?'

Dizzi sensed Fern's confusion and laughed. "Don't worry, Fern! The Chief just likes to keep a record of things." The buzzing female computer giggled, and Kenny began typing on her like crazy.

"Oh, I see. And you're his bit-beast?" Asked Fern, clearly interested in the fact that she looked like a laptop.

"I am. I was trapped inside here. Pretty cool, huh? I must be the most intelligent bit-beast around!" Dizzi commented sarcastically.

Fern smiled gently at Dizzi's words. So unique.

Suddenly breaking her chain of thought, Kenny spoke up. "Alright, Fern. Your defense is pretty good. This beyblade is Werex Moon right? Well, the attacks not so good. I'll fix you up if you like! And your endurance is just average! See?" Kenny slid his laptop along a little, so Fern could have a peek at the screen.

_Fern_

_Attack -_

_Defense - - -_

_Endurance - -_

"Thanks Kenny. I could really do with something to sharpen up my blade a bit. You know, make it a better attacker?" Fern suggested, still staring at the screen.

"No problem. He'll do it for you..." Dizzi giggled a little.

"I can speak for myself!" Kenny blushed. "And of course!"

Fern raised her eyebrow. Dizzi was acting... kind of weird. Like she was suggesting something. He'll do it for you... The way she said that, made Fern slightly nervous. Just what was she trying to say?

"Oh! And uhh... mind if you tell me your surname? Just so I can type it up?" Smiled Kenny sweetly.

"Not at all. Ryuki." Fern replied with full enthusiasm in her voice.

"Fern Ryuki..." Kenny repeated slowly, like he was going in a big thinking phase about her name.

Fern just laughed. "Yeah! That's my name!"

Kenny blushed a little, realizing he was thinking too hard again. "I'll try and sort your blade out for you. That's all, thanks!" He quickly boasted.

"No prob!" Fern sang, and with that, she skipped out of the room for Kenny to do his own thing. She guessed he might like working on his own and not her watching over him all the time. Oh how wrong she was.

The mousey-brown haired 13 year old bowed his head in embarrassment as Fern left the room. The quiet noise of Dizzi giggling made him feel nauseous. It made his flapping stomach twist around even harder, only resulting in him getting really bad stomach pains. Dizzi's constant laughter was making him feel so uneasy.

"Quit it!" Kenny snarled quietly.

"Oh, Kenny. Just tell her you like her," Dizzi suggested happily.

Kenny rolled his eyes. "Gee! What makes you think I like her!"

"The way you look at her."

"Oh, like the time you said I had a crush on Mariah because of the way I looked at her? And the time you said I had a crush on my school teacher? Which I didn't!" Kenny blushed.

"...And your point is?"

"Urgh! Doesn't matter..." Kenny murmured in annoyance. Dizzi could see Kenny was thinking about something, so she just let him be and work out his feelings for himself. Even if he did like Fern, would he even stand a chance? Probably not. And looking a fool wasn't something he was keen on. His other team mates would probably just laugh. But holding back his feelings like this, wasn't good for him, and he knew that. If he didn't do something to at least give her hints, the butterflies inside of him would only get worse. There had to be a way tell Fern how he felt but without her knowing it was him...?

An idea suddenly hit Kenny's genius of a mind. It would work a treat! Now Kenny was smiling like mad, Dizzi knew he was up to something... or he was thinking of something... well, you know. Dizzi didn't want to even think about what was going through his head right now. She was just so lucky she wasn't Fern.

"Dizzi..." Kenny began. "Will you help me... Uhmmm... write a love letter?"

There was a sudden silence between them. Dizzi couldn't hold it back. "AHAHAHAAAA!"

"Dizzi!" Kenny moaned, now a faint shade of pink hovering on his cheeks.

"...HAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"Dizzi!"

"...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Kenny sweatdropped. "DIZZI!"

"Aha. Sorry Kenny, but I couldn't help it. Well, don't worry kid! You've asked the right person! I'm an expert..." Dizzi giggled.

Into the next room, and Fern had slouched next to Kai on the double settee. Much to Kai's dislike, he could feel her staring at him through his closed eyelids. The TV was flashing brightly, blending in with the faint sun which was attempting to fight away the early afternoon clouds. It seemed like a nice, peaceful day. Ray and Max were relieved they had finally finished their 'Kai' shopping as Max called it. They had gotten up early this morning especially just to check over the things they had without Kai seeing. After all, tomorrow was Kai's birthday. And Ray was worried they had forgot something vital.

Ray and Max were sat cosily on the sofa opposite the TV screen, while Kai and Fern sat on the left hand sofa and Tyson was slumped on the right hand one. Fern struggled to get comfortable, so instead she decided to rattle the silence and start a conversation. But, by the looks of things, she had a feeling she wouldn't get a very good one. Ray, Tyson and Max's eyes were devouring the TV screen, without even twitching their heads the slightest bit!

"I was just wondering. Do you guys get to check out the beystadium before you have matches there?" Fern suddenly piped up.

Tyson turned his head away from the TV screen and looked at Fern excitedly. "Oh boy! Those stadiums have some of the best food there!"

"Uhhh..." Fern sweatdropped. "I didn't ask how good the food was...!"

"Typical Tyson!" Smirked Max.

"Sometimes we do, Fern. Actually as a matter of a fact, we'd better get hold of Mr Dickenson," Said Ray. "We haven't actually seen much of this stadium before. It's just been newly built at Long Island."

"Hmmm... it makes you wonder doesn't it? Why they booked us in to a hotel in Manhattan and the stadium is at Long Island? The BBA are sure messed up!" Tyson commented dryly.

"Maybe Mr Dickenson wanted you to be closer to the city? So you can have some fun maybe until the final?" Suggested Fern.

"Who cares? Besides, there's loads of restaurants in Manhattan!" Tyson hyperactively smirked.

"Yeah, and also there's loads of places to practice our skills," Kai coldly boasted, earning a glance from everyone.

"Well, that's good too," Tyson shrugged.

"I'm glad you agree," Kai looked up and pulled Tyson a quick cunning smirk.

'Wow! A smiling Kai? Very cute, I must say...' Fern felt like slapping herself silly after thinking that. She tried to avoid the sudden blush that was perking up on her face.

"For once, you're not being Mr. Sourpuss," Tyson snapped jokily.

'Eek! Don't push it, Tyson! A smile from Kai is rare!'

"So? What do you say?" Ray suddenly piped up, trying to avoid an argument between the two. "Should we go check out the stadium?"

Tyson quickly shot his hand straight up into the air. "I'm in! I could do with a bit of an adventure!

"What? An adventure to the stadium restaurant? Don't just think this is some holiday, because here's a news flash for you: It's Not!" Kai snapped, sending glares across the room at Tyson.

_"For once, you're not being Mr. Sourpuss."_

Tyson sweatdropped. 'I take that back...'

"Geez! I know! We'll take a trip to the restaurant instead," Tyson smiled smugly.

Kai rolled his eyes. "We'll go to the stadium later. Right now, I could do with some training. And so could you lot!"

"Kenny's busy fixing up my blade! I demand a re-match, Kai!" Fern smiled.

Kai turned his head and faced Fern. He was fairly impressed by her determination. But annoyed at her over-confident attitude. "Hn. What's the point? You won't win." Although, they weren't the exact words he wanted to say. He truly did want to battle her again. There was no harm in it but admitting it just seemed... like it would do some harm. Alot of harm.

"Who cares if I lose? I'll just try my best. That's what it's all about, right?" Fern continued to stare into the eyes of the phoenix- he simply stared back into her's, as the rest of the team watched on. Kai felt sort of awkward with them all staring.

"No way," Kai said. "It's not about trying your best. It's all about winning. What's the point in having competitions in you don't want to win? There's always a winner, and that's the highest you can go. Being the winner is the only thing that matters. Losing doesn't prove anything. It just proves you're weak and worthless. However, winning doesn't just come naturally. You have to work for it. Push yourself, and you'll succeed. And the only way to push yourself, is to experience a new type of power. Beyond your limits..."

Fern stared at Kai blankly. A little surprised, she found her thoughts wandering back to Black Pele. Maybe he was right. Did competitions only exist for a winner? 'Black Pele... A new type of power. 'It must be great to be powerful... and I could be...'

Suddenly realizing what she was thinking, Fern shook her head roughly trying to erase the thoughts. 'No! No I can't! That type of power is bad!'

"Uhhh... Fern?" Max's sweet voice called. Fern spun her head around to see many concerned faces concentrated on her.

"Oh...yes?" Fern asked, not thinking about what she was saying. Her mind was still else where.

"You okay? For a second there you looked like you were about to pass out or something," Max replied.

"Really? Oh, no. I'm fine, really," Fern said, pulling everyone a convincing smile.

Kai sighed. Everything he had just said right then was a total lie. Maybe not all of it, but most of it was. He knew it was all about trying your best and giving it your all. Then why did he just go out and say that? He just couldn't bring himself to speak his mind while the team was there; because he always assured his team it was all about winning. Only recently, he realized it wasn't.

"Are we off training then?" Asked Tyson quite enthusiastic. Kai just slowly nodded and stood up. The rest of the bladers copied his actions. Only Fern was left sitting down staring at the wall, thinking.

"Fern?" Asked Ray. "You coming?"

"Uh.. oh.. Umm.. No, sorry. I don't feel too good. Is that okay?" Fern glanced up at Ray, then wandered her eyes over to team captain Kai.

Strange. Just a few seconds ago, Fern was all for going out training. She even wanted to challenge Kai. Trying not to let it get to him, Kai sighed lightly and decided to reply with a simple answer to the simple question.

"Whatever..." Was all Kai said.

"Well, if you need anything... just ask Kenny, okay? By the looks of things it doesn't look like he's coming with us. Well, See ya!" Ray smiled cheery, and followed his team out of the hotel room. He closed the door gently after him.

It felt so lonely all of a sudden. It was like the TV was now her only company. Kenny was busy, so Fern couldn't really talk to him.

'Need some company?' Werex entered Fern's mind. Fern smiled slightly.

'Yeah, that would be nice, Werex...' Fern replied softly.

Kenny was still devouring the piece of pale pink paper, that he had ripped out from a magazine page, with a thick black pen. He continued to slouch further in to Kai's double bed, sighing as he held the pink paper to his face and began to read it over again.

"Dizzi, you sure this doesn't sound too.. well you know.. corny?" Asked Kenny.

"No way! It's perfect!" Dizzi argued. "It may be short, but it's catchy. The shorter ones are always better. Now, go slip it under Fern's pillow!"

Kenny nodded. "Alright, I guess." With that, Kenny threw the pen on to the bed and lifted up Fern's pillow, laying down the piece of pink shiny paper neatly before covering it up again. "I can only hope..."

"It's not like you're in love with her, Kenny! It's just a crush, remember? Don't get too carried away," The very concerned Dizzi informed. The thought of Kenny getting hurt wasn't a thought to be messed with.

Kenny sighed. Yeah, Dizzi was right. It's only a crush. Just a bit of fun.

Hours later, finally, the wanderers returned from a very hard day of training. Tyson was first to enter to room, suddenly thumping the door open and destroying the peaceful silence with a loud yawn.

"OH BOY! WHAT A DAY!" He roared, immediately rushing over to the kitchen counters and grabbing a glass to fill with water. Ray, Max and Kai normally walked into the room unlike the hyperactive Tyson. It was amazing how easily amused and hyperactive he got after a few hours of training. That was the Tyson they knew and liked. Well, maybe not so much Kai.

"Haha! Did you see that Kai's face when my blade spun longer in his? Boy, if I was Kai, I'd be really mad!" Tyson yelled brightly. Everyone sweatdropped, minus Kai who simply glared at Tyson with his constant bragging. He had said that over and over again during their walk home!

Ray glanced around the room, surprised to not see Fern anywhere.

"OH! And when Ray walked into that girl with big boobs! Man, I'd never laughed so hard!" Tyson boasted, finishing off his glass of water.

Ray raised an eyebrow at Tyson. "ACTUALLY you pushed me!"

"Yeah, whatever man!" Tyson said very unenthusiastic, as he continued to giggle like a little school girl at his very 'action packed' day. Max's eyes wandered over to the sofa, where an almost silent breathing sound had caught his attention.

"Awww..." Max whispered to himself. Fern was laid on the sofa, curled up like a hibernating squirrel. She looked so different asleep. No more cute giggles, or cheeky smiles, or flashing EYES, or-

"Ha! AND THE FOOD! Gawd, the food in that teeny little prick of a cafe was pretty good! I'd go there again any day!" Tyson screamed excitedly, breaking Max's chain of thought.

Max sweatdropped. "Tyson..." He warned, staring back down at Fern.

"...My mother always used to say 'Food doesn't grow on trees, Tyson!'..."

"Tyson..."

"...Oh how wrong she was! What about apples? They grow on trees right?.."

"Tyson..."

"...Now that I think about it, when I was little I tried to grow a pie tree once! But then my grandpa..."

"TYSON!"

"What?"

"Shhh...!"

Tyson turned his head around to see where Max and Ray were looking. "Oh!"

The dragon smiled at the sleeping flaming-haired wolf. Even he thought she looked really kawaii while she was sleeping! She looked so peaceful, he could see why Max was so concerned about waking her up. After all, she did mention she wasn't feeling up to speed earlier.

Now Kai had joined in with the staring. He watched her lay on the sofa, motionless with her legs close to her chin. He could just about hear her soft breaths now that Tyson had finally shut up to his pleasure. Just staring at her made Kai feel softer; like he was weak at the legs, and could just collapse to the ground without prevail. It made him feel kind of sleepy, by just watching her. Seeing her like this made him feel uneasy that his team mates were in the room too. What if she woke up and got a shock?

'But...She still looks pretty while she's sleeping...' Kai felt his blood race faster through his veins as his heart pumped harder and harder. Where had that come from?

There was nothing wrong with thinking a girl was pretty! He was only human after all, right? That's not what he thought. The fact that he was thinking about it, made him feel embarrassed, even though no one had heard it. It was tough for him, as he had never really thought about stuff like this before. Usually when he met a girl, he'd avoid looking at her as much as possible. Not because he was afraid he'd think she was pretty, but because he was Kai. The Kai, that never liked to think about people in such a good way. Sure, he had sometimes thought Tyson was a good blader, or Ray was a good cook. But this felt different. Every time he thought about her, his pulse would race. Every time she stared at him in the eyes, his stomach would twist. And every time she jokily nudged his shoulder, he'd feel the sudden urge to touch her back.

He sighed, trying to erase his very mixed up thoughts before Dranzer got a hold of them. He wasn't in the mood for stick from her. It got on his nerves that the phoenix kept teasing him about Fern all the time. He didn't like Fern. That was that.

But where had that come from anyway? He kept telling himself he didn't have feelings for her, but what made him say he didn't? What made him think about Fern in that way anyway? It was all so sudden. He even felt awkward around his team sometimes. In fact, almost everyone. Probably because of the fact that he didn't always like talking or being around people. So he guessed, and stuck with, that was the reason why.

Getting lost in his own thoughts once again, he suddenly realized that Ray and Max were now standing over at the kitchen counters starting up some tea. He shook his head lightly, shocked to see Kenny now stood hovering over Fern, watching her like the double-shaded haired teen was previously doing.

"She must have been tired, huh?" Kenny commented. Kai couldn't help but notice Kenny's faced seemed to be blushing a deep dark red. He rolled his eyes at the Chief without saying anything else, and wandered off in to the bedroom.

Kenny sighed. 'Damn, you'd think he didn't have a voice-box!'

Kai slumped himself on to his double bed, sighing. He took Dranzer out of his pocket, and rested it gently in his finger tips as he stroked her with his thumb. Soon enough, he flumped back his upper body on to the soft mattress and out-stretched his weary arms. His legs still firmly placed on the ground, Kai closed his eyes to rest them a little as he thought about things. Things he wasn't even sure why he was thinking about.

The feelings he had been experiencing were always on and off. There were times, when during a bey-battle, that his heart would race with fear when he was close to losing. Or, thinking about the abbey, made his blood almost spill from his mouth. And these feelings, were happening, even now. But for all the wrong reasons. Over a girl! Which he couldn't understand! There was an excuse. That he'd had these feelings before, when he was scared.

'So Fern scares you?' Giggled Dranzer, now picking up Kai's thoughts much to his dislike.

Kai sighed. 'I don't know what they mean. All I know, is that I get these.. feelings. Only recently though. But they don't mean anything. I'll admit it. I'm too cold to even care.'

'Kai, you can't ignore them.'

'No! I CAN ignore them. You know why?... Because they don't mean shit all.' Kai replied back, before Dranzer could ask 'why'.

Dranzer sighed. 'It's up to you. You can either ignore them, or take notice of them. But I'll tell you this now, Kai. They won't go away.'

'...I...' Kai was struggling with this. His bird was just to wise for his own good. 'The thing is Dranzer, I really couldn't careless. I really couldn't give a monkys. I have much more important things to be thinking about than this strange stomach illness I have been getting.'

'Kai.. You haven't noticed the main problem though, have you? You often get these feelings around Fern, right?'

'Yeah... strange, huh? I must be allergic to her or something!'

Dranzer mentally sweatdropped. 'When will you understand...'

_'She'll just have to show him... I'm too old to be thinking about things like love.'_ Dranzer thought, and with that, left Kai's head.

"Hello!" A happy voice called out. Kai jumped a little in shock at the sudden cheery tone, and sprang up from is lying-down position. A certain firey-haired girl was standing smiling at him cheekily, the very girl who he and Dranzer had just been talking about. "Wassup, tiger?"

There goes that nickname again. 'What is it with her and that name..?' Kai rolled his eyes and carefully slipped Dranzer back in to his baggy trouser pocket. He looked back up at Fern, to see she was still staring at him with those almighty green eyes of her's.

Fern felt her insides bubble up into ticklish laughter as Kai sent her cold, but gentle glares. "Boy, you sure know how to make a girl feel welcome don't you?"

Kai just ignored her sarcastic comment and decided to start off a conversation with something new instead.

"So.. you're awake then?" Kai muttered sarcastically.

Fern giggled. "No, I'm sleep-walking!" She smiled sarcastically.

"That would be better than sleep-talking." Kai commented, earning a real scary stare from Fern.

"Wha-What do you mean!" Fern demanded to know, almost choking on her own spit. 'Had he heard me sleep-talking?' She ran up to Kai nervously and stood in front of him as he continued to sit smirking on the bed. She refrained from blushing. Her little habit of sleep-talking might have just got the better of her.

"Wouldn't you like to know!" He joked, enjoying winding her up. Only thing was, she seemed a little shocked that he had heard her sleep-talking. If he could remember correctly, he was shocked too from some of the things she had said...

"Uh- Nothing. Never mind!" Kai quickly said, now trying to avoid the subject. If he told her more, he'd end up revealing what she had said that night. And he didn't want her to know that most of her sleep-talking included Kai watching fish... just... not right.

"Kaiiiii you have to tell me!" Fern begged.

"No I don't."

"Yes."

"No!"

"I'll give you a kiss if you don't!"

"... And if you even try you'll be going straight through that window!"

"Works for me!" Fern perked happily.

Kai felt like blushing deeply even in the aftermath of what Fern had just threatened to do. 'A... kiss...?...'

'What's one of those?' Dranzer laughed, mimicking Kai jokily as she tried to finish of Kai's thought.

'Not funny!' Kai furiously erased Dranzer from his head, now blushing a deep shade of red.

Fern smiled and slumped down beside Kai. Kai leaned an eye to his side as he felt her legs slide against his. He turned his head towards her's, finding that she was looking at him with a smug grin on her face.

"Well?" Asked Fern.

"Well...?" Asked Kai, confused. What was she talking about now?

"Hmmm.. is there and echo?" Fern joked.

Kai pulled Fern a soft annoyed glare like he took her 'joke' seriously. Fern just laughed. "Hehe, I'm kidding man!" Fern slapped Kai jokily on the back, making him jerk a little.

"Well... I'm not going back on my word! I'll really kiss you!" Laughed Fern.

_Kai's POV_

_There is goes again. That damn bubbly feeling. _

_A... kiss? Hn. No thanks..._

_Why would she want to kiss me? She's looking at me so weirdly right now... I can practically feel her warm breathe against my chin..._

_End POV_

Fern gulped hard, but held back her nerves and showed Kai she was full of confidence. "Well, you gonna tell me or what? What did you mean about the sleep-talking?"

'She's bluffing...' Kai knew she didn't mean it. But.. if she did...

"Hn." Kai was taking a huge gamble here. If she wasn't joking, he had been let off easily. If she wasn't.. then he'll just have to see.

"You asked for it!" Fern smirked. Kai watched nervously as Fern pulled her head forwards like a bobbing pigeon.

Without holding back and going for it, Fern quickly leant forward and placed a quick peck on Kai's cheek. She pulled away immediately, rubbing her fluttering stomach as she sat back and watched Kai's wide-eyed face suddenly drop. He didn't even twitch as she kissed him, instead he just let her do it, not believing she really would kiss him. It was way too fast for Kai to react, but afterwards he had never felt so awkward in his whole life.

Kai stared at Fern endlessly as she pulled him a quick shy grin. Looking away, now embarrassed, he gulped hard as he let out a soft grunt. He was determined to show that he wasn't bothered about it. Although, he was very shocked that she went through with it. He didn't expect that. Oh no.

'Some kiss!' Sighed Dranzer. 'I was hoping for a better show!' The laughing bird was now really getting to Kai.

'Buzz off!' Kai moaned, once again erasing Dranzer from his thoughts.

Kai suddenly rose from the bed, letting out a 'hn'.

"I think tea's ready..." Said Kai, now smelling the Chinese fumes coming from the other room. It was more of an excuse really, to avoid thinking or talking about that kiss.

Fern sighed. She was actually hoping for a better reaction. Instead of thinking about it, she let Kai wander in to the next room on his own so she could tidy up the double bed a little. It looked like Kai had been laid on it for some time. All of the sheets had come loose a little, and as far as she could remember this morning she had forgotten to tidy it up.

Getting up, Fern began to tug at each end of the duvet to try and get it straight. As she carefully thumped Kai's pillow to let the wandering stuffing and feathers inside of it travel to the flat end of the pillowcase, she began to think about things. 'Why did I even kiss him? I knew I wouldn't get a reaction!...' Fern sighed as she continued to bust up Kai's pillow. She couldn't help but notice his pillow smelt exactly like him. That strong, minty fume that would always be around him. It was nice, in a way. It just showed he had a good choice in aftershave.

She crawled across the bed on all four's, making her way to the other end so she could sort out her pillow. She picked up her pillow, only to stop raising it towards her in mid-air as she looked on skeptically at what she saw.

A pink, shiny note was laid across the mattress, looking rather flat from the pillow. Curious, Fern picked up the pink note and without knowing, dropped the pillow because of her now deep concentration as she began to read the bold black letters scribbled on the note...

_Lover,_

_When I first met you, I thought you were a Fallen Angel._

_You can't begin to imagine how I fell for you so quickly._

_Like how you quickly appeared in to my life._

_And my heart._

_Admirer._

"...," The flaming-haired girl continued to stare at the letter in disbelief. It was natural to be surprised, right? After all... she never expected anything like this...

"A love letter?" Fern raised her eyebrow. Was this some kind of joke? Who on Earth would send her this? Obviously, it must be someone she was currently living with... someone who must be quite shy, because they could of easily told her to her face...

Then it hit her.

'NO WAY! Absolutely NO WAY! It can't be... can it...?'

She rubbed her forehead trying to get around this. Could it have really been... him? 'No... he wouldn't... would he...?'

The only person she could think of, was Kai.


	14. Sweet Sixteen

**AOD: ) Yay! Thankies Reviewers! You people are the reason why this fic is being written! Cause you really do influence me. **

**Kai: Disclaimer; AOD does not own Beyblade, Manhattan or New York for that matter.**

**AOD: ¬.¬U Yeah... I know... Do I look like a president to you? I couldn't even run a mile, never mind run a city!**

**Kai: ...Whatever.**

**AOD: ZOMG! I might be changing my penname to something like: 'Angel Of Darkness 91' Or something similar to that. So if you see a different penname next to this story's title.. then it'll be me ! o.o I really don't make sense, do I?**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 14- Sweet Sixteen**

The gibbous moon glowed strong blazes of white light through the rim of the curtains, spreading the shine into the cosy bedroom. It wasn't quite a full moon yet; at least one more night and the full circle would be complete. The leak of faint light was glimmering across the bedroom walls, creating crazy shadows and odd shades of movement. Not once did the shadows move- just like everything else in the room.

The total silence sent endless buzzing cries through Fern's ears in distress. Not that she was paranoid, but being in a dark room with no sound or noise made her feel very self-conscious. No song of the birds, no splashing of the rain, no babble of the Bladebreakers...

Nothing. It felt like she had been swallowed into a dark whole of nothingness and dragged into a world where noise didn't exist. Worst of all, there was nothing at all appealing to her to look at. Her shining orbs stuck above her nose couldn't pick up anything worth looking at; not while she was lying down anyway.

She was getting a sudden feeling that something would suddenly jump out and attack her; that's until she dragged her conscience back into reality herself. She sighed heavily, enjoying feeling and listening back to her long fresh breath. It was the only noise she was going to get all night, she figured.

Staring wide-eyed at the peaceful-looking ceiling, the flaming-haired teenager sighed again, still enjoying the even slightest of noise that occurred. That was all she needed. A bit of company, though she knew she wouldn't get any of it tonight.

She tilted her head to the side, now facing Max and Ray's double bed. Watching them was better than watching the ceiling, even though they were just as life-less. She couldn't figure out if she felt happy or sad at the moment, due to her mischievous feeling and events that had happened over the past few days. From the most recent, to the long ago events of her life, it all seemed like one big roller coaster. Things kept happening, and as they did, more and more just came without stopping or slowing down. Sometimes she wondered whether this really was reality; or a messed up dream world she sometimes thought existed in the very back of her complicated state of mind.

Continuing to watch Ray and Max intensely sleeping like there was no tomorrow, she straightened her leg in annoyance as she just couldn't get comfortable; only to connect with something else under the covers.

Kai's leg. He slept so soundlessly, she almost forgot he was even there. But she knew her limits; she couldn't roll over anymore than 50cm or she'd collide with Kai. Amazingly she had remembered that little rule she had made up even though Kai had slipped out of her mind for a short amount of time. Yes, it was short. Forgetting about him completely was out of the question. Now that she knew a little something which made her feel very awkward around him...

That love letter. Those simple words wrote by hand across some useless piece of pink paper meant so much to her. It made her angry, knowing that one stupid piece of paper had managed to squeeze itself into her mind, along with the other 100 things that she just couldn't solve. But somehow, that note had pushed itself to the front of her thoughts, and many of the important ones had been pushed to the back out of the way. There was no stopping it; it wasn't like she had a choice. Besides, not knowing who really wrote it made her cringe. It was Kai right? It had to be. Who else could it have been?

The evidence. There was much of it, but she decided to stick to the main things. One, he was the last one in that room! She remembered clearly, that he was sat on the bed when she walked in; he could of slipped it under her pillow then. Two, Kai was never one to admit his feelings. Especially... love. She didn't need a professional to work that one out. It was clear, Kai would of never of said those things to her face; if he did, it truly would be out of this world. So the easiest way to go about it would to write his feelings all down on a note, right? That's what she was convinced. And Three, who the hell else would it be? Ray? No way, he's too honest for that. He'd just come right out and say it. It seems Love Letters weren't really his thing. Tyson? Na. There had been no signs at all, and besides, he wasn't really into the whole lovey dovey stuff. But neither was Kai, when she came to think of it. Max? They were more like brother and sister than anything else. They got along well, why would he just come out and write that letter? Of course it couldn't be him. Or... Kenny? He's shy, she knew that much. Yet, he wasn't bothered about love. He was interested in computers and technical stuff and handling data and all that mumbo jumbo. And to top it off, he was only 13. 13 year olds can't seriously think of something as good as that to write... could they? Well, he was Kenny after all...

Fern's nose twitched at the sudden thought of Kenny sending that letter...

'Na!'

It wasn't Kenny. Or the rest for that matter. It must have been Kai... but how could she be so sure? Ask him? The thought of asking him made her stomach wince. She truly didn't have the guts to do anything like that, what if he was negative about it? What would she look like then?

'Stupid, that's for sure!'

Bringing her arm out from under the sheets, Fern laid back on her back before wiping her forehead in slight frustration; her head was too small for these long essay-thoughts she was always having. She didn't fancy thinking of them as essays; she had to do enough of them at school.

Now she had erased her thoughts by simply rubbing her forehead, she became stuck with the awful silence again. It seemed she had been thinking too hard again; and she'd completely forgotten about her boring surroundings. Unfortunately it had came back, and she only wished she could go back to her essay-thoughts again. She tried to clear her brain as she stared continuously at the bathroom wall, trying to pick up from where she left off with her thoughts.

It was no use. It was gone for good.

'May as well get some sleep...'

Closing her eyelids lightly, soon enough Fern fell into deep slumber that she longed for after her much impressionable day. It would be only hours until she would have to wake up to what she had a feeling to be a very action-packed, fun day.

A slight, gentle rub against her shoulder caused her to wake suddenly, dangerously swinging her arms out in displeasure as she was awoken from her deep sleep. The fairly lighter room than before, slowly brought her to realize it was the early hours of the morning, at least 6am. Now catching up with her breath which had speeded up due to her sudden disturbance, Fern caught eye-to-eye with the raven-haired Neko-Jin, who softly pulled her a grin. His golden eyes were exceedingly bright this morning. That was the first thing she noticed about him. The soft smile he pulled her gave her a warm feeling. It made her think back to only a few hours ago when she was having trouble sleeping. That dark unwelcoming scene had dampened her mind and had held back her deep urge to sleep. Although now, seeing the room in a total different state and a nice smiling, alive-looking face staring at her just as she woke up made her feel back down to earth. That's all it was. She just felt a little lonely, which she had suffered almost all of her life...

Knowing she'd once again start recurring into a deep chain of thought, Fern quickly shoved her upcoming feeling aside and greeted Ray with a nice, warm smile back to match his own.

"Hey Ray!" She stage-whispered tensely, avoiding waking up Kai in any shape or form. She wasn't surprised the slightest; she was expecting an early wake-up call from either Ray, Max or Kenny, minus Tyson who would probably still be sleeping as usual.

Ray was wearing a baggy, white dressing gown which was tied together with a thick blue piece of velvet rope. It almost seemed like it was dragging off him it was so baggy- even when he turned his head to look at Kai she noticed it seemed to hang off his neck too.

Fern followed his eye contact and stared at the birthday boy along with Ray. It was cute, he hadn't a single clue what they were up to. Fern had a feeling this surprise party was going to be an absolute blast- not to mention meeting new people, she was determined to get to know Hilary and Mariah more. And if possible, Mariah's team. Meeting all of these teams in person was brilliant. The experience of it was astounding. These teams had all been on TV before, in the papers, they were practically famous! Only until now she realized how truly lucky she was; it was like a one in a million chance anyone would get the chance to be trained by these professionals... it was all totally bizarre to her! This was the first time she ever really thought about it; before when she first met them she was too over the moon that they had actually offered to train her than anything else. Now this is what she called living a dream!

Once against she caught eye contact with Ray as both teens turned their heads off Kai and back on each other.

"Man, only seems like yesterday when we met him... now he's 16! Time sure does fly," Ray commented cheery, before taking his two fists off the bed and standing up straight.

"Well, shall we? Let's go into the living room so we don't wake him! Come on, the others are waiting!" Ray explained, now beginning to slowly walk backwards as he tried to make his way out of the room while still keeping his eyes focused on Fern and waiting for her to follow him in.

Fern nodded positively. "Is Tyson up yet?" She climbed out of bed and revealed her cute rainbow gown.

Ray sniggered slightly. "Yeah, we had a struggle, but we made it in the end."

Shaking her head and sighing jokily, Fern managed to keep her balance as she tiredly followed Ray into the living room, yawning quietly as she did so. Walking into the next room, her beaming eyes met Tyson's double bed eagerly at the sight of Max, Tyson and Kenny sat in a circle smiling at her like she had just pulled off a funny joke. They were obviously amused at something; their wide grins and half-open eyelids were signs of jovial. Something very humorous must have been on their minds.

"...Why are you looking at me like that?" Asked Fern, making her way towards the bed.

"Ever heard of a brush?" Tyson joked.

"Oh har-har!" Fern boasted sarcastically. Her quick half-smile showed she wasn't bothered; soon it disappeared as she glanced at herself in the wall-mirror which was hung beside Tyson and Kenny's bed. "Wow... it really is a mess, huh?"

Fern glared at herself in the mirror, examining her hair amusingly. Most of it was all over the place, with pieces of hair sticking up and covering her face. She sighed quietly and wandered over to the Bladebreakers.

"Make this quick, I'm tired! What time is it anyway?" Fern moaned, rubbing her sore head. It was still aching from when she had bashed her head off the bathroom door... twice! And to make things worse, she was getting really bad head aches lately which only made the pain more severe.

"It's about half six. Alright, so let's get this over with! I don't blame her for feeling tired.." Tyson trailed off after receiving a slight glare from Ray.

"Okay, so does everyone know their role for tomorrow? Me, Max, Tyson and Kenny will set up the party in the afternoon. It should take us a good few hours since we don't have the proper equipment, like ladders." Ray explained, leaning against the side of the bed as he spoke.

Fern continued to gaze over him in confusion. Her name wasn't mentioned.

"...And what do I do?" She asked, squinting her eyes slightly. Her eyes were very sore- being woke up early after a hard night's sleep wasn't particularly something she was keen on. She could practically feel the red lining around the rim of her eyes, burning up like the sun had just hit her flat in the face.

Ray smiled cunningly, much to Fern's dislike. She had the hard job, right?

"You have the most easiest, yet important job of all! You have to keep Kai away from the hotel while we set it up for the surprise party!"

Fern stared at Ray like he was dumb. Keep Kai away? Is that even possible? He's the type of guy to say 'No one tells me what to do!' No way was he going to listen to her of all people. And if she seemed too keen to keep him away, he'd be sure to suspect something. And besides, she still felt awkward about the whole love letter thing. Spending a day alone with him might only stir things up more than they already were.

"What? Are you kidding? That's the most hardest job of all! He won't listen to me!" Fern told Ray, with a slight hint of seriousness in her face.

"If we can pull off getting out of training for the day then we can pull off anything!" Tyson smirked. He rubbed his hands excitedly whilst hugging his pillow and resting his chin on top of it.

Fern sighed. "...Alright, I guess. But where do I take him?"

"I heard that in Central Park a travel theme park named Pineapple Fair arrived here yesterday. It's going to be here for at least a week, so you could take him there. It's your choice, really."

"Yeah, we should all go there one day! It's meant to be the biggest theme park of all time!" Tyson agreed, bouncing up and down on his knees with excitement.

"Ha, do you really think Kai would go to a theme park?" Fern asked in amusement.

"Of course. I know he seems cold all the times, but I'll bet he'll really be buzzing to go!" Max chirped.

A sudden leak of light erupted into the room, as the morning sun rose past the window lightly in the deep blue sky. The curtains were still tightly shut, although the strong gleam of light was enough to make it's way into the fairly luminous, pitiful dark room. The light made each blade squint their eyes.

"Looks like it's gonna be a nice day. I guess... Alright. Leave it to me! I'll keep him away.. somehow," Fern assured the Bladebreakers quietly. There was no choice in the matter. She had to do it. After everything they had done for her, she needed to repay them in small amounts until she got her act together again. She promised herself that once of all her problems were solved, which she knew perfectly she was the cause for them all, she'd make it up to them in one whole chunk. The least she could do was help out with this party, and by the looks of their pleasant yet privileged faces, there was no way she could let them down on this one.

Ray slowly nodded, Fern catching the movement and bringing her straight back into reality. "Okay, you go get some sleep. I'm off to bed myself."

Fern nodded, and sighed once more. She seemed to be making a habit of sighing alot lately; And she didn't even realize she was doing it until after she did. It was just one of those things you couldn't help doing. They just kept coming out, straight after the previous.

Trying not to worry about her constant sighing, she tried to perk her own hopes up by smiling back at the attentive looking bladers. "Okay, I'm off to bed. You coming?" She asked, aiming the question at Max and Ray but still giving each blader a fair gaze.

Ray slowly nodded, and followed her back into their bedroom along with Max not too close behind.

Flicking her eyes open once more, it took Fern a good few minutes to get used to her bright surroundings. For a few seconds, she rolled her eyes over in each direction, until she tensely met Kai's bare back. The faint sound of babble and laughter was coming from the next room, drifting into her ears as soon as she managed to notice was day it was.

Smiling, Fern sat up in bed, her eyes still stuck on the cold phoenix who was attempting to quickly pull on his dark purple jacket. She blushed at the sight of him pulling it on, muscles on his back sticking out like goosepimples on a cold day. His broad, tense and rough body creased slightly as he finally managed to pull his jacket on without getting it tangled again. What a sight.

Suddenly snapping out of her staring-phase Fern smiled at her own actions. She had just been staring at a guy getting changed. The thought infuriated her a little, how could she be so careless? If the Bladebreakers had caught her watching she'd have alot more to answer for.

There was no time to be essay-thinking now. Today was a very special day. It was one of the first things on her mind, so in a way it meant alot to her too. The one person who had helped her train was celebrating something big. A birthday, but not just any old birthday. It was his sixteenth! It wasn't everyday once-children were hitting the big age of sixteen. He was practically a man, now. She suddenly felt so small, she was still a hyperactive, emotional teenager, while Kai was now growing up into something.

"Happy Birthday, Kai!"

Kai immediately turned around and caught eye-to-eye with Fern, sat happily smiling at him in bed. It made him wonder how long she had been sat there watching him. He had been getting dressed! A faint scowl in his mind told him to blank her- it was awkward enough at the thought of her watching him for the past few minutes, but he wasn't into the 'Happy Birthday' stuff at the least.

Automatically that scowl was pushed right at the back of his mind. For once, he thought with his heart. What would his heart do? There was apart of his mind that was saying, 'Go on, smile! Thank her!' It felt like that part had just been opened from a deep, darkening sleep.

To her pleasant surprise, Kai managed to crack a quick smile through his eyes- A bright sensational light rose from the deepest areas in his two orbs. They flickered with complete pleasure, stuck on the flaming-haired rouge.

"Just feels like a normal day to me," Kai quickly told her, finally finding that scowl again and pushing it straight to the front of his mind.

Fern smiled and shook her head in amusement. "Ah, Kai. That's what I like about you. No matter what the situation, you always manage to stay focused somehow."

A quick silence crossed them, as they both continued their wild staring game.

"Sixteen, huh? You're growing up, Kai," Fern smiled. She felt like laughing mentally after listening to herself saying that. It sounded like something your grandma or grandad would say, but then again it seemed to suit her pretty well. She had to admit, even though she was fairly childish herself, there were times when she felt like she was older. Well, which growing teenagers don't?

This time Kai couldn't fight his upcoming smile- it just slapped him straight in the face and rubbed against his skin, creating a gorgeous curved lip line sparkling over the brightness of the room. "I grew up a longgggg time ago."

"Haha, yeah, you are pretty grown up for your age-" Fern began, now climbing out of bed. "But-" She paused for a second, making sure she got her words right and waiting until she got up close with Kai. "You're still a kid at heart. I'll bet you have a great fun side to you!"

Kai shook his head in amusement. "I'm going to sit in the living room. You coming?"

Say what?

Did Kai Hiwatari just ask her if she wanted to walk into the room with him? Wasn't he afraid the Bladebreakers would get ideas?

Not wanting to ruin the moment, Fern nodded quickly and smiled. "Sure!" She wasn't even dressed, but this was too good of an opportunity. It was like heaven had suddenly came down and slapped her in the face. Feeling special now that the legendary cold-faced Kai had asked her to walk with him, she happily followed him into the next room, forgetting about her state of being dressed in a nightgown and her ruffled hair.

Kai tugged the curtain out of the way, now dreading the thought of getting pats on the back from his team mates and a whole bunch of 'Happy Birthdays.' One was enough for him to get ahold of, he didn't need about a dozen more being thrown at him. Especially from Tyson... Kai cringed at the thought.

Lightly walking into the room, to his surprise he didn't suddenly get attacked with big, bright 'Happy Birthdays'. Instead, he received a warm smile from each of the bladers who were sat devouring bacon at the kitchen table.

"GAHppy Bifdare KARRI!" Tyson muffled in between his chews, with mushy food about to be swallowed.

"Tyson! Don't speak with your mouth full!" Ray moaned, before swallowing a long string of bacon politely and greeting Kai into the room. "Morning birthday boy!"

'Birthday boy...' Kai raised his eyebrow slightly. 'You'd think I was a little kid or something...' Fern snickered and dived onto the sofa, enjoying Kai's teammates giving him a good morning greeting. Watching his face was just priceless.

"Happy Birthday, bud!" Max sang happily.

"Yeah, have a good one!" Kenny smiled.

"Hn." Kai ignored his teammate's warm talk, and joined Fern in the seating area. The blazing TV shone throughout the room, rattling the silence as each of Kai's teammates dug into their bacon and eggs.

'Hmmm...' Fern raised her eyebrows at Kai's unexpected reaction. She at least thought the Bladebreakers would receive a smile back, or some sarcastic comment. But... nothing. The thought of getting sort of getting praised for her words and the Bladebreakers not, made her go all weak inside. It just wasn't right. Due to her confusion, she once again found her thoughts wandering back to that stupid love letter. It had once again pushed it's way into the light of her mind. The more important yet unpleasant things were trapped in the darkest areas of her thoughts, which wasn't a good thing. Stupidly enough, she knew she had to stop thinking about this letter and concentrate one much more serious matters. But she just couldn't let it go...

"Kai..." Fern began, before she felt herself nipping at her tongue with her two cuspid teeth with deep frustration. Part of her wanted to surreally ask him about the note, but that part of her was now in darkness. Before she brought herself to ask him, she realized there was something else she needed to do. That part was now in the light, shining in her maze of a mind.

Kai curiously watched her as she hesitated at first, but finally her words came out.

"How do you fancy coming to the Pineapple Fair with me? Just for a look around?" Fern sighed once again. That really was a close one. If she hadn't of remembered that, she probably would of asked him about the letter.

Tyson and Max snickered silently. Hopefully their plan was going to work. The Bladebreakers continued to stuff their faces, while secretly listening to Kai and Fern's conversation. Fern attempted to talk loud and clear so the team could listen in, but she couldn't bring herself to talk any louder. The TV was faintly glowing, along with the quiet sound of Ray and the others chomping on food. It just seemed too peaceful to ruin it with a sudden loud voice.

It felt comfortable, in a way. Kai's fresh presence made her feel warm. She didn't need the heating on to feel warm anymore. Staring into Kai's glorious eyes was enough to make her feel alot weaker. Legs shaking slightly, chin up, Fern cracked a faint smile across her pale pink lips, gazing into Kai's dark red eyes.

It wouldn't feel right if she just started talking boldly. The peaceful atmosphere was one not to be disturbed; and she had to admit, she enjoyed every second of it.

Breaking the burning feeling, Kai came out strong and clear. "A fair? Why would I want to go to a fair with you?"

Fern sighed. There it was again. That same sigh. Many different emotions flickered through her deep, verdure eyes. That fair scent of mint and freshness felt like nothing. Her heart chimed through her body. That feeling had totally wore away. But still, she had a job to do. She couldn't let her friends down. There had to be a way. She fought the exasperated look that was trying to take over her joyful face, and managed to bring herself into the smiling mode again.

"Well... it's your birthday, and I thought you might want a break? Oh, come on Kai! Don't be so crabby! Live a little! Get your bodice moving! You could do with a little fun. What do ya say? Only for a few hours? We'll get candyfloss?"

The phoenix pulled her a straight, anxious glare. Waiting impatiently for his answer, she had a feeling that if she was turned down, this time that exasperating feeling will win the battle. She couldn't let her valued team mates down, just couldn't!

Kai rubbed his forehead quickly, trying to avoid full eye contact with her. Why did he just feel like he wanted to give up and go? One word is all it took to change their relationship forever. A 'yes' would prove alot of things. That he had changed. Probably for the better, but not in Kai's eyes. A 'no' would prove he was still a cold, heartless being who hadn't changed the slightest.

That part of him that wanted to say yes was pulling muscles in his body, urging him to say those three simple letters together. Did he even want to go to the fair?

Not really. But with her... he wasn't so sure. His head was sure messed up right now. It would be easier just to say no, but why say no to something you want? He wasn't certain as to why he had the urge to say 'yes' and go with her. Her presence to him, was powerful and attractive. Just like how he felt about Dranzer.

He could now see Fern was getting impatient for her awaited answer, due of her constant biting of her lips and loss of twinkle in her lime eyes. He decided to just go with whatever he thought of first. He let his heart talk for him.

"Okay."

That one word felt like his life had just been to hell and back. It just slipped straight through his shivering lips, and it wasn't even on his mind. He wasn't the only one who was almost gasping for breath with shock. Fern stared at Kai, wide-eyed with her jaw almost touching her knees. That simple word, that couldn't possible do much harm, over-whelmed her small mind and sent a thousand tears roll into her veins.

Still not quite over the shock, Tyson interrupted their much-needed thought. "GREAT! - Oh, I mean, great... That means a few hours off training right? We would come with you, but we're too tired. We stayed up late last night!"

Max, Kenny and Ray felt like mentally sweatdropping. Trust Tyson to almost give the game away. 'You are such a bad liar, Tyson... You could of made it sound more realistic!' Ray thought, before being distracted again by Fern's sudden energetic attitude.

"Great! Why don't we have breakfast there, too?" Fern beamed, letting her rebellious mind fly free. Prancing up from the sofa, she couldn't help but smile when Kai looked at her like she was stupid.

"They won't sell breakfast food there!" Kai declared, glancing up over the sofa.

Before Fern could even speak, Max took her role. "They do! The most action-packed food-filled cafe there is one of the most famous of all time. There isn't anything there you can't buy!"

Ray gulped slightly as Kai stared at Max suspiciously. Hopefully, just hopefully, Kai didn't get the impression they were trying to get rid of him.

"Uhh... Okay? I'll go get changed!" Fern smiled, her eyes meeting Kai again. "Kai, thanks! You deserve time away from these guys-"

"Hey!" Tyson yelled in annoyance, understanding Fern's mocking clearly. Fern just smiled and ignored him.

"-And even if you don't like it, it doesn't matter! There's still plenty of little numbers to be had today, eh Kai?" Fern winked at Kai confidently, before skipping off into her bedroom to get changed.

That little wink meant alot. It made him feel funny, like he could never, ever be sad again. What did she mean by those words, anyway? Yet again his mind fogged over with strange accusations. As quickly as he breathed, that simple 'okay' he gave her appeared into his head again. Not that it mattered anymore. There was no way to change it now, what's done is done.

Much later, Fern finally managed to pick a suitable outfit for her trip to the Pineapple Fair. It was much like her usual favourite outfit, but she wore long pink straps instead of brown ones crossing over the top of her body. She had fastened them onto her belt so tightly, it almost looked as if they were crushing her to death.

She didn't really fancy a long walk all the way down to Central Park- the easy way out was to simply stand along the pavement and shout 'Taxi'. It kind of amused her, but before she could shout it again one had already pulled up along the pavement.

"To Central Park, please!" Fern chirped, climbing into the back of the cab along with Kai.

"Certainly, ma'am!" A man dressed in all black, with a cute short tie and neatly fastened shirt on was the driver, and he seemed friendly enough for Fern to make conversation with along the way. There wasn't anything else she loved more than talking to people. She had practically made it into a hobby.

The yellow taxi set off down the road, sprinting past the many buildings of New York city.

"The Pineapple Fair is a great place for two young people such as yourselves to have a date- good for you!" The Taxi driver smirked, staring at Kai and Fern from his upper wingmirror.

Fern giggled. "We're not on a date, driver! It's his birthday!"

Kai rolled his eyes slightly at the driver's accusation. 'Date? In her dreams!'

'You two must share dreams then,' Dranzer sniggered, now entering Kai's head.

'Not now Dranzer..' Kai sighed, blanking Dranzer from his head.

For most of the trip there, the two remained quiet. Something else had caught their attention, and that was the beautiful sights of New York. The amazing sky-scrapers and heavy buildings surrounded the busy roads. Covered in millions of tiny blue windows, and grazed in giant adverts stuck on the side of them and names of shops sticking out high above their heads. At night, this part of the city must be beautiful; It was like a new world. The futuristic scene made Fern cringe with excitement.

The passing cars and taxis swarmed the area, making the city seem more crowed than it actually was. The cars only took up more room, it was even hard crossing the road as Fern found out as she watched a mother and toddler hesitate to cross. The wheeled-beasts were coming from all directions, around sharp corners, from junctions, and there didn't seem to be much chance of them crossing the road. She was glad she wasn't them right now.

Everywhere she looked, there was either a sky-scraper, shop or building, swallowing the sky with it's horrendous height. The only thing which made them worth looking at was the huge adverts and colours spread out across the walls of the buildings. But no doubt, it was astounding. If it could make an impression on Kai, it could make an impression on anyone.

From the turn of a corner, blasting jolly music could be heard throughout the warm, winter sky. Straight ahead, was a gleaming area of lights, fun and people. The heavy babble of people talking was now becoming louder, creating a whole whirl-wind of happy voice and screams.

It was almost like Heaven.

From above the trees which surrounded Central Park, wild rides spread for miles around the edge of the funpark, peeking above each and every tree which tried to hide it's presence. Constant, fast movement wept into their eyes. Every few seconds sudden wild rides would rise into the air, filling the atmosphere with painful, yet excited screams as they fell like a bullet back to the ground. The immediate flashing lights one after another made Fern and Kai feel like they were about to have a seizure.

Fumes of hotdogs, chips and strong sauce made Fern's stomach ache with hunger. Her urge to rip open the taxi door and rush over to where ever they were selling this deliciously-smelling food suddenly came to a halt as the Taxi pulled up along the curve.

"Have fun!" He called. His muffled voice just about caught their ears; the events at the fair had totally taken over the communication of noise in every shape and form.

Fern rummaged through her pocket and brought out a 10 dollar bill and handed it to the driver. "Keep the change! I'm outta here! I gotta get food!" Fern almost literally tore off the door in complete eagerness and scurried into the street. Kai sighed and followed her, before listening to what the driver had to say.

"She seems keen. Just look after her, okay? These huge fairs are easy to get lost in; even in daylight they aren't the safest places," He assured Kai. With that, the phoenix shuffled after Fern who was increasingly getting over-excited at the sight of the fun park. She was quite far ahead of him, prancing and skipping along along the pavement, looking for the fair entrance.

Fern quickly turned around, Kai now startled to see her running straight towards him. Lucky, she halted at the nick of time before she was about to run into him, and instead, grabbed Kai's wrist.

"Come on, Kai! Time for some fun!" She beamed, dragging Kai along with her into a fairly fast sprint.

"Ugh..." Kai let out a quiet moan, a little surprised as to how fast she was running. Any minute, he felt like his legs were about to fail, which would result in him being scarped along the floor.

Thankfully, Fern suddenly stopped and examined the entrance of the fair. There was a quick staring-phase before the two of them actually went inside. Fern was amazed by the park, the transformation was fantastic. Only days ago it was a grassy, family-type area for little kids. Now it just looked... amazing. Horrific high rides, tonnes of enormous arcades, food stalls, roller coasters, ghost trains, Ferris wheels and even water rides! It seemed to go on for miles and miles. It looked like practically the whole of Manhattan was in here!

"Oh, Kai! I'm in total heaven! Let's go!"

Meanwhile...

"Alright! Now pass me the banner, Max!" Ray called anxiously from above, awaiting Max's next move which would hopefully become a success this time after many failed attempts. Ray was stood standing weakly on top of the kitchen table, which had been pushed against the kitchen appliances. There was quite a large gap between the table and the wall itself, only because the fridge and cooker were annoyingly in the way which didn't make things any easier.

Max pulled Ray a convincing smile, and carefully lifted up a huge 10m wall scroll which was incredibly hard to even hold. It had came rolled up like a scroll, and every time Max tried to straighten it, it would just curl up again. But finally, after some flattering with the bed duvet, it finally matched the shape of what it was supposed to look like on the packet it came in.

Tyson sturdily gripped the table as strong as he could. Kenny was stood down below Ray ready to pass him some pins in order to stick the banner up there. Max gaped at Ray, a bit impatient because of Ray's struggle to stay steadily balanced on the table. The feline then came across a very easy method of taking your shoes off- it seemed to work pretty well.

"Just hurry it up! Ray's feet stink!" Tyson joked.

"Shut up! Or I'll kick you!" Ray warned, grabbing the banner from Max's hands and carefully standing up straight again. He handed Kenny one end of the banner so he could deal with the other end. Kenny threw a pin towards Ray, catching it with ease.

Ray leant forward and placed one foot over the cooker, glad that it wasn't actually turned on, or that really would be fried cheese!

"URGH..." Ray groaned as he used the muscle of his finger to push the pin into the wall, directly over one end of the banner. Kenny handed him another pin, and the other end of the banner as Ray just about managed to pin that end in too.

"There!" Ray smiled, jumping down from the table to stand back and admire his work.

'Happy Birthday Kai' is what it read, in bold blue letters on a pale orange background. It had cost them more than they expected just to get Kai's name especially printed on. Hopefully, just hopefully, it would be worth it.

"This party if going to be a blast anyway even if Kai doesn't join in or anything!" Tyson commented with enthusiasm.

"I'm sure Kai will appreciate it. Now, what's next? Should we start blowing up some balloons?" Ray suggested.

"Whatever, as long as we can have a break in between. A growing boy like me needs food! I'm so envy of Kai and Fern! Getting to spend the day in that theme park while we're working out butts off..." Tyson said dryly.

"Yeah, but remember. She's with Kai. She'll sure get some big kicks out of that one!" Kenny rolled his eyes with sarcasm.

"Makes me think... I wonder how them two are getting on..."

Yet another flash of screaming kids ran past the cafe window, all with dripping ice-cream and candy-floss in their hands. Fern smiled and turned back to face Kai, who was staring at her like she'd just done something stupid. Fern sat back against the wooden board on the seat, folding her arms in total amusement. "You gotta problem?"

Kai wasn't sure whether to take her seriously or not- her slight frown made him believe she was; but her eyes told him differently. She seemed to hide alot of her emotions through her eyes. He could now practically read them like a book, as they sparkled with glee.

He rolled his eyes, sighing at her diddly little jokes.

Fern glanced over at the cafe counter, annoyed to see at least a tonne of people all lined up to take their order. She was usually quite patient, but waiting in long lines just wasn't her thing. Letting her eyes wander off, she scrolled around the room, envying the people sat at different tables who had platefuls of chips, bacon, noodles; you name it. Max wasn't lying when he said this major cafe sold everything- it practically did!

"Hehe.. stop that!" Fern and Kai immediately whirled around and met eye-to-eye with a passionate couple, only a few tables away from them. They seemed to be making quite a scene.

Kai raised an eyebrow and quickly turned his head away to face the window, after just seeing the couple smother each other in random kisses on the cheeks.

"Awww... sweet," Fern smirked.

"They need a room," Kai commented, seeing Fern's face brighten up and giggle made him want to return her the favour.

"I guess. But they are married! They can do whatever they like!" Fern smiled, looking at the couple every now and then as they kissed and hugged each other.

"Hn. How do you know they are married?"

"Look at their fingers!"

Kai did as she said, and quickly gazed at their hands, which were rolling down each other's faces tensely. Both man and woman wore a golden ring, and specifically on their wedding finger. He looked away again, facing Fern and pulling her a comprehending look.

"Don't you get it?" Asked Fern.

"Hn. Of course." That look just seemed to wear away, and vanished from his face completely. She really did wonder about him sometimes.

"Ah, I can't wait until I get married!" Fern boasted, swirling her index finger through her layered hair.

"...Why?"

"Well, why not? It's one of my dreams to get married to whoever I fall in love with! The experience would be great! The cute white dresses, ribbons, cake, bridesmaids, church, and most of all the love of my life! Don't you want to get married to a girl, Kai?"

Did he? He had never really ever thought about it. Now he was sixteen, he could get married whenever he wanted. What was stopping him? The fact was that he wasn't even sure what love was... not after the business with his grandfather.

Instead, Kai choose the easy was out and pulled Fern a cold glare. "...Not really."

"Or would you prefer a guy?"

Kai jumped at the question. "What? Don't be stupid!"

"Just testing Kai!" Fern sang happily. Kai's shocked expression was now beginning to wear off, but there was just enough left for her to devour. Seeing Kai act all defensive was kind of... cute. "How about kids? I definitely want kids! I've even figured out the names and everything. I was thinking of Yoshi for a baby boy, and Marion for a girl!"

"No way. Kids just mean more trouble. How do you think Tyson's mom felt when she brought him up?" Kai replied.

Fern smiled at Kai's comment. He didn't show the slightest bit of jokey ambience, but by his sarcastic tone of voice, she knew he was trying to be friendly. She began to laugh a little.

"Ha! You mean he was a right little brat?" Fern wondered.

"Yeah, I should know, I first met him when he was 12."

"12..? I was actually thinking about younger kids."

"No, he still acted like a kid. Ask Ray. He was very immature. Even though he's still a dumb-ass, I must says he matured over the years."

"I think you would make a good dad, when you're not acting like a jerk!" Fern joked, curious as to what his reaction would be.

Kai scratched the back of his head. "Me? A jerk? I never act like a jerk!" He rolled his eyes sarcastically. The hint of happiness in his eyes once again indicated he was just joking around.

"Oh? So you trying to say you act like a dad?" She asked, placing her right arm across the table and using her left elbow to rest against the surface as she cupped her hand gently in her palm.

"Sometimes it felt that way. I always had to look out for them... Damn kids..." Kai sneered softly.

"So... you think you know all there is about looking after kids, huh? Why don't you try it for real? You're old enough now, right?"

Kai pulled Fern a timid look. "Uhhh.. No. I'm not interested. I don't want kids."

"Aww come on Kai! Live a little! The others aren't here right now! You can admit it to me!"

"Huh? There's nothing to admit! I just don't want kids!" That was interesting. Did she know... his weakness? Before he could go into thought about it, she cut him off.

"But.. you want a wife, right?"

"No!"

"Ah.. Kai.. one day some lucky girl will steal your heart. And there's no fighting it! That's what my mum used to say... apart from the girl.. being the boy.. and stuff...!" Fern stuttered, blushing a nice shade of pink at her muddled words.

"Heh. Do you ever shut up?"

"Ummm... No. Do you ever talk?"

"I am now."

"Oh, well done, Kai! Your next step to becoming a sociable young man! All we need to work on now is your attitude, tiger! Now, how about we order large fries?" Fern smiled, glancing over at the now wore down cue.

Kai sniggered. She wasn't so bad. "Chips for breakfast?"

"Yeah, my appetites real big right now. Besides... I've missed breakfast. This is my lunch. I'll order something else too to make up from breaky!"

The cold phoenix suppressed his raging smile, just dying to tear into his flesh without prevail. Fern didn't seem like the type to care what others thought of her. For some reason, he kind of respected her for that. She wasn't just the usual teenage slut of a girl which all they ever did was stand in front of the mirror and cover their faces in slap. Immediately Kai felt a little guilty for being so stereotypical of teenage girls, but he had to admit, Fern was different from the others. Not just physically.. but mentally...

The sudden flash of screaming kids brought him back to reality and rubbed out his thoughts- glancing out of the window, he saw that another monstrous ride was just starting up, and already the kids on it were 10 foot in the air. He looked back to where Fern had been previously sitting, only to find she was gone. For a second, his heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly gazed around the room looking for the missing wolf.

The red head was stood at the counter, being served by one of the staff. He sighed with relief; for a second there, the taxi driver's words thumped in his mind like a sore thumb.

_Just look after her, okay?_

He had to be more careful. If he just kept getting in radges like that, he wouldn't seem so organized and laid-back as he usually did. His identity was one thing worth protecting.

Ray finally puffed the last bit of air he could mange into the small hole of the yellow balloon, immediately tying a tight knot in the end of the rubber party decoration. He didn't realize blowing up balloons was so much hard work. Unsurprisingly, Tyson had chosen probably the most easiest job of all- setting the table full of food, snacks and drinks. Ray was sure Tyson had secretly tried to scoff a baked bun, but he didn't mind. There was practically enough food to feed a whole country! And with Tyson here, he knew it wouldn't go to waste.

Kenny was currently setting up the party poppers and silly string, keeping a few bottles for later on so they didn't run out all at once. He knew how much Max _adored _all things party-ish.

Max moved at an undulating pace, making sure the finishing touches were in place. He glanced up at the small clock settled on the window-sill which Kenny had brought along with him.

_15:06am_

He sighed heavily. Kai and Fern were bound to be back soon, and with only a few hours to go, it seemed almost impossible to get everything ready. For one thing, Tyson's encounter with Mariah and Hilary was another thing to worry about. It meant they would be coming too; but hopefully not late. If they arrived at the party after Kai and Fern came back, Kai would only question.

Stopping his pacing abruptly, Max gazed suddenly at the loud swing of the hotel door, revealing a couple of figures stood by the doorway. Each blader stopped what they were doing, and looked up at the quick shake of the door which brought them eye-to-eye with a couple of teenagers they knew very well.

"Hilary?" Max beamed, widening his arms for a tight hug.

Stood in the doorway, was the very confident-looking Hilary, shining her brown eyes across each corner of the room, until she met Max's deep blue orbs after hearing his sweat voice she longed to hear again.

"Hey guys!" Hilary sang.

"Hill! Good, you came!" Kenny beamed.

Hilary smiled and stepped into the room, revealing yet more people stood hovering behind her. Ray smirked at the sight of the sharp fangs and rough skin; he knew them alright.

"Guys! I'm so glad you came! Tyson mentioned to me that he had seen you!" Ray beamed, dropping the balloon from his sturdy finger tips and racing towards his team mates. Tyson and Kenny joined him, while Hilary embraced Max into a tight hug.

'Hmm... looks like they've dropped the black eyeliner..' Tyson smirked to himself, while pulling each White Tiger a soft smile. He had to admit, Hilary and Mariah looked much better without the gothish look. It didn't suit them at all. 'Meh.. girls and fashion! It's such a strange thing!'

"Lee? Mariah? Kevin? Gary? Come in!" Ray chirped, moving aside so his old teammates could enter the room. Lee was first to enter, his strong, sensible nose twitching slightly at the sight of the clean, tidy room. It was sure different compared to what he had ever stayed in.

"How'd you end up in a place like this?" Lee murmured, still exploring the room through his sharp eyes. He had dark grey hair, and sturdy eyebrows like a real tiger's mane. He was still wearing that bulky necklace, and wore a simple shirt which was opened and pampered his strong chest nicely.

Mariah, Kevin and Gary entered the room after him, only Mariah stopping to greet Ray. Ray didn't mind. He had a feeling the blanks and vicious stares were due to his last failed attempt of trying to reason with each of them. Unfortunately for them, he had to leave them once again so he could enter the fourth World Championship. It was tough, but in the end, they finally agreed. He had recieved a few claw slaps off Mariah, but that was all. Along with a huge heap of guilt to go with it. There was nothing he hated more than seeing his ex-teammates like this. But what did he expect? Telling them he'd be gone for a while again, to reunite with the Bladebreakers? He certainly didn't blame them for taking it so badly.

At least now, they were making an effort and they had turned up to Kai's upcoming party. That was a start.

"Hey, Ray!" Mariah smiled, her golden eyes shimmering through the faint, deep sunlight. Ray couldn't help notice her's and Hilary's strange new fashion of dressing like two party girls. He didn't know Mariah liked to dress up so much, until now anyway. But that wasn't important. The two Neko-Jins shared a quick moment of staring, Tyson and Kenny realizing the two should be left at it. Immediately they walked away, and greeted the rest of the White Tigers.

"Mariah... I'm so sorry..." Ray stammered softly, lowering his eyelids. Mariah watched her friend's guilty face. It sure looked like he had a guilty conscience from the outside.. but what about the inside? She had to know for sure, otherwise she could never forgive him. Although, deep inside, she already had. But he needed to hear it.

"What does your heart tell you?" Mariah asked, slowly pacing her warm hand on Ray's pink cheeks, rubbing his skin softly through he light fingertips.

Ray felt a swift, light feeling settle inside of his body- his heart was open.

"It tells me... that I am. I truly am sorry, guys," Ray gasped, swinging around and staring at his now staring ex-teammates.

Lee saw the guilt in his eyes- nothing like he'd ever seen before. Lee shook his head slowly, to Ray's surprise. "Are you still mourning over that? We got over that ages ago, man! Let it go! The reason we came her in the first place was to support you, that's until Hilary mentioned it was Kai's sixteenth. We let her come along anyhow."

Those were the words Ray longed to hear.

Fern blinked twice at the rising theme park ride, her sparkling grass-green eyes twitching in fear at the sight of the giant swing lift the hundreds of screaming kids and adults into the air. Even by staring at it her stomach began to twist with excitement. She noticed most of the rides here were mainly dangerous, wild, adventurous things. There was hardly anything here for little kids, apart from the exception of the one or two small roundabouts.

She didn't quite fancy having a go on any of them at the moment. She wanted to save it until all of the Bladebreakers were there. But there had to be something her and Kai could do which wasn't too severe-looking. The two teens stood in one patch of grass, gazing around at their packed environment. Kai stood silently with his arms folded across his chest.

First she could do with some candyfloss. The sight of people walking around with either ice-cream or candy-floss in their hands made her drool over it. After her big meal, you'd think she was full.

Rubbing her stomach, Fern turned to Kai, already gazing at her consciously. She let a faint smile spread across her lips before letting words slip through her mouth.

"I'm gonna get some candy-floss from that stall over there!" Fern pointed to a small stall full of blazing red, yellow, orange, delicious-looking sweets. Kai followed her pointing finger. "Want some?"

When was the last time he had candy-floss? Long, long ago. 'Hn... haven't had it for a while. I may as well.' Kai nodded slowly. "Yeah."

After waiting in a 10-minute cue to finally buy their simple floss, Kai and Fern decided to just have a quick walk around the Pineapple Fair, to stare at the sights of the park. The day had been better than Kai thought; he was used to large crowds, mainly because of all of the beybattles at the stadiums. The crowds were enormous there- nothing topped this though. Everywhere he looked, people were strolling around, laughing, excited. Too much happiness in all one day made him feel tired. Not his happiness, but other people's happiness. It was just so uncomfortable to him.

Turning around yet another corner from a long river stream that was part of a wild water ride, a string of emotions almost dripped from each blader's eyes. That sense of people and loud ramble seemed to just vanish, into a much quieter area of the theme park. And a much sinister one...

Few stalls lied on the unusually bare piece of grass unlike many other areas of the park. A simple throw-a-ball at the coconut stall stood lonely, the grass around it muddy and slushy, probably due from the rain.

The very last activity in the theme park rested against thick pins, which held up a small, dark purple tent. A crescent moon was whirling slowly around on top of a small stand, which held up a bright, magical-looking sign which printed three simple words.

_Luna's Future Readings._

Kai stared beyond the tent for a second, noticing it was a good few yards away from the theme park. A bare ground of grass rested behind it. It was like they had reached the very end, the left-over out-skirts of the park.

Fern couldn't help but listen to the fainted cries and laughter in the distance behind her from back deep within the park. It seemed like hardly anyone came here- nowadays most teenagers were interested in the high, scary type of rides.

"Luna? Wow! It actually looks like one of those psychic tenty-things you see in movie! It could be the real thing! Come on Kai, this could be fun!" Fern gawked. Before Kai could answer her back, she had already grabbed hold of his wrist without him knowing. Soon enough, he was flying down the grassy path with Fern taking lead.

They paused just before they entered. Fern grabbed ahold of the tent door, and slid it open carefully, leaving enough space for Kai to follow in after her...

'Wow.'

Their wide, blistering eyes caught the room's strong scent of supernatural magic. Surprisingly large and spacious, the room gave off a 'magical' feeling, which had completely swallowed Fern and Kai's attention. Voodoo dolls were hung up all over the place, the thin hair of the dolls hanging off them like they were slowly falling apart. Strange and bizarre long tubes of water glowed lucently above their heads, sending bright rainbow lights around the whole room. It felt so supernatural, the place reminded Fern of witches and black cats. Whoever this Luna was, she was no joke. She certainly was superstitious.

Kai and Fern's eyes finally casted on a woman sat almost silently behind a round, pine table. The woman looked like one of those people out of movies; a round headband flung over her head, which came down to her chest. Her big, bulky round earrings rattled slightly as a grin spread across her purple lips. Fern couldn't help notice her hair; black, raven locks which looked like they reached her backside. It looked so unbelievably shiny and silky, Fern could almost feel the silk of the woman's hair glide through her fingertips by just staring at her.

Kai guessed, that this woman must be Luna. She looked exactly how he expected; a fake!

"I've been expecting you," Luna's face lit up wisely, her brown eyes glimmering under the light above.

Fern raised her eyebrow. "You have?" She asked cheery, yet in an disoriented tone.

Luna simply nodded, her hair bouncing with her nodding beat.

'How...?' Fern scratched her head. How did she know they were coming? 'Oh wait... She's a psychic! Of course she knew we were coming!' Fern laughed in her mind, almost sweatdropping but refrained when her eyes caught Kai.

He was staring at her tensely. "Can we go?"

"Would you like a reading?" Luna asked, as she placed her hands stretched out across the rounded table and cupped her two hands together.

"Oh yes! Would we ever! Come on Kai!" Fern cried happily, exchanging a quick glance with Kai before beginning to walk over to the two seats that were across the table from Luna.

Kai sighed. He had no choice but to follow her.

Taking their seats, Kai sat uncomfortably opposite the lady, as Fern slouched next to him in another pine seat. He watched Fern for a second, examining her lips as they pulled into a tight smile. The glitter in her eyes told him she was excited and looking forward to her 'reading.'

"Shall we begin?" Luna smirked, immediately shaking her long sleeve.

Fern and Kai looked at her in suspicion. They had no idea what she was doing, but she was speeding up so it didn't seem like they'd catch it with their slow movement of eyes.

A pile of cards flew out of her sleeve, Luna catching them with easy into a strong grip in her soft palms. Fern watched on in amazement. She hadn't ever seen anything like this before.

Luna carefully placed the cards on the table in front of her, but turned them around so the picture side wasn't facing.

"Uhmmm.. excuse me? What are you doing?" Fern asked.

"I'm hiding the cards from their true positions. I'll give both of you a separate reading. Once I have finished mixing them around, when I tell you, blow lightly over the cards. Then I will pick one up at random, with my eyes closed. That will tell me your destiny..." Luna smiled, as she used the palm of her hands to mix up the cards on the table.

Kai looked on skeptically at Luna. 'She's crazy! She actually thinks all of this is real?'

To his surprise, Luna immediately looked up at him and shook her head. "I'll prove you wrong."

'? What? Did she just.. read my mind?' Kai blinked twice at Luna, totally astonished and baffled. He had always heard stories of people like her, who would dress up as a witchy-looking person and give out fake readings just to get in on the loot. Something about this woman, convinced him she wasn't one of the fakes.

"Alright..." Luna stopped shuffling the cards and looked up at Fern. "Now, blow!"

Fern smirked timidly. "Alright!"

Fern believed in all the supernatural beings, aliens and ghosts type of stuff. And because she did so, about to get her future given to her on a plate made her ever-so nervous yet excited. It wasn't everyday people got hints of what would happen in their future, but it frightened her at the thought of a bad reading. It did happen, many people received bad readings and it all came true.

Trying to push aside her thoughts, Fern blew softly against the cards. She sat back nervously, gripping onto the rim of the table tightly as she awaited Luna to pick up a card. Smiling slightly, the raven-haired woman closed her eyelids, and picked up a random card without even twitching with fear.

Fern wondered how Luna could stay so calm when giving people a reading. What if it was an unpleasant one? How would she break it to them?

'Well, she must be very brave, Fern. She has to, to be able to choose a job like this. Many medians just leave their gift alone and get on with their own lives. But folk like her seem to enjoy helping people with their lives.' Werex said, entering Fern's mind.

Fern listened, but ignored the wolf purposely. Her eyes were far too concentrated on the turned over card that Luna held in her hand to even talk back to Werex. Luna glanced quickly at the card, then suddenly slapped it down picture-faced on top of the table.

"A star," Luna began. Fern stared down at the turned over card. A large, bright yellow star was printed onto the card, with a beautiful-looking woman knelt down to the side of it. "Many people get this. However, each time they all have their own special meaning. My lovely lady, I sense good things for you. This star represents solitude, feelings, a slightly held-back life. Your eyes... the twinkle in them tells me differently... Hmmm... this is a tough one..."

Fern gulped slightly at Luna's wandering eyes. She was thinking. Yes. She was having a hard time finding a reading for Fern. Perhaps it was bad? And Luna didn't have the heart to tell her? Fern looked across at Kai, who had his arms folded over his strong chest, as usual. Feeling the wolf's eyes focused on him, Kai pulled a quick, soft glance onto her. He could see it in her eyes- she was nervous, no doubt. There was nothing he could do to comfort her.. or nothing he felt like doing.

"Aha! It's come to me!" Luna's positive attitude earned a glance from Fern and Kai. "You are strong at heart, my dear. But, you will need to be healed at some point in your life by the one and only. Never fear, if the said person manages to find their heart and forgive, your life as well as many others will be saved from an evil force. May that be anything along the lines of death, electric shock, help with homework, I cannot say. However, I do know, your heart will live on, for many years to come and go." Fern was almost hanging off her seat, ignoring Kai's slight moans of annoyance completely as she listened eagerly to Luna. "All you need, it a little encouragement, my dear. Don't give up on life."

Fern was lost for words as her jaw almost dropped onto the pine table that sat in front of her. It was amazing. Fern couldn't help but create accusations straight away in her mind of what it could mean. It didn't take long before she was thinking of Black Pele. '...Saved from an evil force? Black Pele...'

Her green, stretched eyes shone with sadness. It matched. It all made sense. What if it was all true? It was almost told like someone would have to save her from herself. 'Kai...?' Her watery eyes casted on Kai's crimson eyes. If he ever, ever found out about Black Pele she could never forgive herself. It wouldn't just hurt him, but by Luna's words she guessed it would hurt her physically too. Yet, Luna didn't exactly mention what would happen to her. As she said, it may only be help with homework.

'But I'm not at school at the moment, am I?' Fern cried to herself. Her head spun, new ideas popping into her head. Luna's words had certainly hit her hard, and Luna picked up on this straight away.

"Dear, it's just what the cards told me. I don't know anymore than you, but I see it in your eyes- you have a strong sense of justice. You don't fail at much, but those one or two things which live in your dreams to accomplish will always be there with you. As I said, never give up," Luna smiled. Fern smiled back, her words had made her feel a little better. She was right. She couldn't give up the fight. Her dream was to become a good blader; but not the most superior. Like she was ever going to catch up with Kai, but the thought of being able to enter the tournaments with at least a few successful wins made her heart skip a beat with excitement.

"Do you want a reading?" Luna asked, now facing Kai directly.

Kai shook his head. "No. We'd better get back."

Fern sighed. That guy really needed to lighten up a bit and have some fun. Speaking of which...

The red-head glanced up at the black clock just above her head. It was just past half five. The party must be set up and ready by now, so she guessed the best thing to do would to head back. She thanked Luna with a simple smile, and threw her in a couple of dollars. Fern stood up along with Kai, and the two began to walk away from the table.

"Hey..." Luna's voice sang cunningly. Fern and Kai stopped and faced Luna. "You want to know something else?"

"Uhmmm.. we really have to be going..." Fern explained. To her surprise, Luna shook her head.

"It won't take 5 seconds..." Luna smiled. Fern looked at Luna curiously along with Kai. Now Luna had their full attention, it was the perfect time to tell them. "When you two entered this room... the spirits whispered 'perfect'..."

Kai and Fern blinked continuously at Luna. Was she implying what they thought she was?

"That does it! I already knew you were a fake, but that one takes the biscuit!" Kai snapped. Fern was still gazing at Luna. Those stupid words had annoyingly managed to push right at the front of Fern's mind. Her and Kai.. together? No. It could of meant something different. Just like her reading earlier. But it just all seemed to connect somehow. Black Pele, Kai, the love letter...

'Miss, now you're going around in circles. This is just a simple silly fun-loving prediction for a spot of pleasure. Don't take it so literally,' Werex assured Fern. The red head smiled slightly at Werex's words. She was right. They were just that. Simple words, which didn't change her fate whatever happened.

'Kai, Kai, Kai... I second that," Dranzer snickered faintly inside Kai's mind.

'Cut it out!' And with that, Kai leapt back into reality. Those words meant nothing to him. "Let's go."

Fern pranced after Kai as he left the tent without her, now feeling a little nauseous, she set food outside of the tent. The first thing she noticed was how dark it had suddenly become; the pale blue sky had turned into a slate blue, which narrowed the sky into a deep turn of emotion.

"Should we go back?" Fern asked Kai.

Kai nodded. "Yeah, we've been out a long time."

Kai and Fern decided to walk back; they didn't have much money left so it probably wouldn't cover one single taxi fare. They remained almost silent as they walked the cold streets of Manhattan, continuing out of the city and moved towards the out-skirts. Their hotel was quite a while away, although feeling that gorgeous winter air and being set upon a clear, slate-blue sky gave Fern fresh feeling. It was truly going to be a lovely night. A clear night sky meant that once the sky was black, it would be filled with many stars.

The phoenix flung open the main entrance door, and held it open slightly for Fern to grab. They had yet another couple of hundred steps to walk. The large staircase awaited them. Fern was going to suggest going in the lift, but after the other day's performance of getting trapped in the bathroom, she really didn't want to risk it. In any case, Kai had already started walking up the stairs so there wasn't much chance in getting him to walk back down the few steps he had mastered.

'Oh! The party... I just hope they've finished getting things ready..' Fern watched Kai reluctantly in fear of the party not being ready. He opened the hotel door, Fern's heartbeat now beating quicker...

By Kai's sudden paused pace, Fern managed to crack a sneaky smile in triumph.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAI!"

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**AOD: Hehe! Aren't I evil leaving it there? Well the chapter was long enough anyways, so please review and tell me what you thought! If you want, please point out where I could improve! Thanks peeps /nods/**


	15. ParTAY!

**AOD: Okay, so where the story left off. And yes, I haven't changed my penname. Yet. _Italic-_ Song playing? Oki? Also, _Amongst-Azarath's_ KaiOC story, Used, Abused And Left For Dead will make you drool. (Well, it made me drool) XD Heh, I just had to add that.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor _Evanescence's_ song Bring Me To Life (And there is a sort of reason for the song. O.O Just take note of the few lyrics I have added because they will be used again laters. Or, you can easily go back to them when the time comes) :)**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 15- Par-TAY!**

A tumble of confetti and silly string swept the room, gently gripping the air's warmth along with the screechy sound of party poppers ripping the room's silence apart. Eyes glued directly into the transformed room, Kai narrowed his eyelids and rubbed his left lower arm, taking in the sudden surprise he wasn't at all expecting. The sight of the room rang through his mind and corrupted his eyes to stare endlessly like he was stunned in shock. It took him a good few seconds to let the surprise sink in. The comprehending gaze Kai had now set on the bladers that stood before him, shone like the stair-case to heaven. Finally managing to breathe in the party-filled air without showing any sign of confusion or unexpectation, he began to realize something that he hadn't even considered. He should have known they'd try something like this. How did he miss it not reoccurring in his mind?

Noticing now that the White Tigers and Hilary were stood along-side his team, he raised his chin efficiently. Now that was something he wasn't expecting. He raised his eyebrows at the sight, immediately wondering what they were doing here. The friendly smirks that pressed against each blader's face made him feel slightly stupid. He hadn't ever had a surprise party before, and there he was staring at them all glumly with a frown on his face.

"Well... say something!" Hilary perked, waving her arm around. His strong gaze upon the room and widened eyes made her believe Kai was still in deep shock, although he didn't know it. Kai was stubborn like that.

"...Something," Kai murmured sarcastically under his breath.

Fern squeezed past Kai and joined the two teams, innocently smiling at Kai as his eyes set on her. The phoenix rolled his eyes at her, now understanding that trip to the theme park was just a set up to lure him away from the hotel for a couple of hours.

'Clever...' Kai felt his upcoming smirk fade away, unsure whether to feel happy or angry. He almost felt tricked, however it made him feel happy. Who would have known, that his own team who seemed fairly useless would be able to come up with a sneaky idea like this right under Kai's nose and get away with it? His dark red eyes stared motionlessly at the huge banner spread out across the wall. It read 'Happy Birthday Kai.' Away from banner now, his eyes darted in all directions of the room, examining it carefully. Many balloons were floating around the dark room, only the bright especially-bought colourful lights dangling from the roof gave the room some emotion. It was a nice effect, total darkness and bright lights seemed to combine well together. It looked like a disco, which wasn't his thing, although the thought of all of this being set up for him made him smile. What stood before him really had set his spirits high.

Fern smirked even wider when she saw Kai's face brighten up, and for a minute he almost looked like he was happy. A sparkling, clear, serene emotion glowed fluorescence in his sharp and tightened gaze, spilling a whirl-wing of happiness and privilege through his deep and concentrated face. Kai opened his mouth to speak, hesitating faintly as he made sure he didn't say anything stupid. Fern could see he was going to say something, and somewhere deep within her, she knew if he really wanted to, he could thank them.

"What are those guys doing here?" Questioned Kai, his smile slowly braking off as his face turned into a concerned, sad expression.

The White Tigers looked at Kai and pulled a 'Who? Me?' gaze as the blue-haired phoenix stood further into the room, directly under the bright lights, enjoying the warmth of the colourful blaze as it dribbled down his chest and spread across his face. Hilary looked away for a second, breaking her much unwanted, awkward gaze at Kai as he glanced at her skeptically at her sudden shyness.

"No questions or complaints. It's your birthday, dude!" Ray stated the obvious.

"YA, so that means you're gonna join in and have fun, alright?" Hilary jokily threatened, brightening up and shaking her fist at Kai.

"Guys..." Kai sang lowly.

"Don't 'Guys' us! You only turn 16 once, Kai. You have to celebrate it!" Lee rambled, joining in with the debate.

"Just like how I turned 15 last year, and didn't celebrate it?"

"But Kai! 16 is a whole new number! One of the most important ages you'll ever become. You're growing up Kai, you can do lots of things now that you couldn't do before! Well, it's illegal now, anyway," Fern laughed, wincing her eyes at the captain.

"Yeah! Like... now you can go that one little step further with the girls.. if ya know what I'm saying..." Tyson giggled knowingly, nudging the air as to wince his elbow at Kai.

Kai sighed. "Whatever, Tyson... I guess you're right Fern. You went to all this trouble, I'll guess I'll just have to join in." Fern noticed a smile cheekily smack on Kai's face. Secretly, she knew he was just dying to get on that dance floor. Now _that_ gave her ideas.

"BWAHAHAHA! That's the spirit, Captain Kai!" Max yelled in a cheerful, wicked tone, suddenly bursting the low, over-joyed, yet sad atmosphere in the room.

Tyson cracked a goofy grin, and leapt into the air, punching his fist above his head almost mischievously.

"ALRIGHT! PARTYYYYYY!"

Tyson skidded across to the kitchen counter where the radio sat, chanting, "Par-TAY, Par-TAY, Par-TAY" repeatedly, much to Kai's annoyance. That's all he needed, a hyperactive Tyson.

Mariah turned to Max and raised her eyebrows. "So, what's American radio like, Maxie?"

Max smirked and pointed over to the kitchen counter, where Tyson stood hovering over the radio. "You're about to find out..."

With a click of a button, the radio rocked the room with it's loud speakers, the once quiet room suddenly being erupted with loud bangs of drums and voices. Hilary and Kenny jumped, crying Tyson's name out in annoyance due to the over-high volume.

"Sorry!" Tyson laughed increasingly over the music, lowering the volume button down.

Finally sinking in to the music, Max grinned widely when he realized what song was currently playing.

_How can you see into my eyes_

_Like open doors_

_Leading you down into my core_

_Where I've become so numb_

_Without a soul. My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold_

_Until you find it there and lead it back home_

"It's Evanescence!" Tyson cried, earning many skeptical glares as he pranced around the room, attempting to pretend to play an air guitar. He jumped on the arm of the settee, raising his arm in the air which was supposed to be him holding the neck of the guitar, and his other hand was shaking below as he pretending to pluck the strings.

"Uhhh.. Tyson? I think you'll find this song consists of mainly drums," Kenny stated, rubbing the back of his head.

Max laughed nervously. It seemed Tyson hadn't had one of these 'Disco' nights in a while. After all, Kai had been driving them all pretty hard training for the past few months or so. This is just what they needed.

"Alright, BABY!" Tyson growled jokily. Max sweatdropped. Yeah, Tyson was definitely going to make the most of this one in a million chance of getting to party. Everyone watched the scene with strong interest, as Tyson practically danced around the room like a maniac. Kai slapped his forehead hard, bowing his head. In his eyes, Tyson was making a prat of himself. The over-active teen attempted to break-dance, only to fall flat on his face in the process.

Mariah and Ray watched on with their eyes widened, full skeptical enthusiasm washed over their faces. _What_ was Tyson doing? Lee shook his head uncomfortably, amazed by Tyson's... dancing antics.

"Whoo Hoo! Here we go! Everyone get ready to dance to this part!" Tyson beamed, swinging his pretend air guitar above his head.

_(Wake Me Up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(I can't wake up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(Save me)_

_Call my name and save me from the dark_

_(Wake me up)_

_Bid my blood to run_

_(I can't wake up)_

_Before I come undone_

_(Save me)_

_Save me from the nothing I've become_

"Oh yeah! Wake me up inside!" Tyson sang the lyrics out loud, although he was the only one that didn't realize he sounded like a strangled dragon.

Everyone blinked.

"WEYYYYYYY!"all heads whirled around to find Max duplicating Tyson. Perfect eye-candy.

"Give me strength..." Kai moaned, wandering off away from the scene which he found rather disturbing for his liking.

_Now that I know what I'm without_

_You can't just leave me_

_Breathe into me and make me real_

_Bring me to life_

Soon enough, everyone began to warm up to the idea of Tyson acting like a dancing maniac, and finally went off to do their own thing. Lee, Kevin, Gary, and Kenny went to grab some food, while Ray and Mariah found a quiet corner to talk. Hilary was still staring at Tyson speechlessly.

Fern smiled and bit her lower lip, rubbing the back of her head continuously as her eyes set on each blader in the room, finally marching them on a certain someone who wasn't celebrating. The red head sighed at the lone phoenix, watching the life-less and pale expression glimmer through the darkness. Kai slowly turned his head to glance up at her when he caught her watching from the corner of his clever eyes. From under the disco lights, Kai's marked blue triangles almost looked yellow, and his deep, rich crimson eyes flashed a bright orange.

Through the slight darkness, Fern's serene smile turned into a slight frown. Shouldn't he be up there celebrating? Tyson had the right idea, even if he went over the top a little. But wasn't that what partying was all about?

Kai's injured-looking face frowned softly at her, turning his head back towards his folded arms. His body was rolled straight up the wall, one of his knees bent slightly and his foot off the ground and resting against the wall. Fern took a quick look back at the uncontrollable party, before making her way over to Kai. His dark, illuminating eyes didn't twitch once, despite detecting her upcoming presence as she came closer. She leant against the wall next to him, the edge of her elbow resting against it like she was trying to nudge it. His bare arms were so close to her face, she felt rather nervous. His heavy, gorgeous figure stood totally still, the red light above glowing almost passionately over the two teens.

"You okay?" She piped up, trying to ignore her what-almost-seemed-as lust feeling build up in her heart.

Kai nosed at her with one eye, making her eyes wince at him because of his usual silence. She tried to ignore Tyson's screams of joy in the background, and Hilary's voice, ordering him to settle down and eat. Fern smirked suddenly, for once Tyson had found another interest rather than eating all of the time.

"Fine," Kai suddenly replied coldly, bringing Fern's mind to drive back onto Kai, and her eyes to replace back onto his bare arms. She blushed when she almost touched his arms with her face, and quickly looked up at Kai to try and keep her mind together.

"Good. Fancy something to eat?" Fern sent Kai a soft, embarrassed smirk, as she uncontrollably rubbed the edge of her foot against the back of her opposite leg in awkward irritation. The rainbow lights above spilled out onto their faces, creating dark and light patches of reds, blues and greens, the colours cascading down their faces.

_Kai's POV_

_It's so warm in here. I feel strange, almost like a strong tender pot is boiling up inside my stomach, the feeling worse than when I need to go to the toilet. Perhaps I'm just hungry. I continued to drape my eyes over Fern's face, for a second there, I was sure I saw a speck of embarrassment rip through her cheeks. They suddenly glowed, and her eyes narrowed, like she was trying not to look at me. Hn. Girls._

_I pushed my folded arms closer to my chest, trying to get rid of the annoying tender emotion in my stomach. Can stomachs have emotions? Can insides have emotions? I thought all emotion was just mashed up inside of your head. Perhaps there is something more to it. It's like a roller coaster zooming around my stomach, pulling at my guts, but ever so lightly... so lightly even, it almost hurts. I would have thought the harder it pulled, the stronger the pain would be. I guess not. Is there something beyond pain?_

_End POV_

"Sure," The word steadily slipped out of Kai's shivering, cracked lips.

"Good!" Fern suddenly perked enthusiastically. She pulled him a happy grin, and made sure he was going to follow her before she set of herself. He stood upright, returning the smile boldly to Fern.

_I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems_

_Got to open my eyes to everything_

_(Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul)_

_Don't let me die here_

_(There must be something more)_

_Bring me to life_

The current song was just finishing, as the two of them rushed through the area Tyson seemed to have declared as the dance floor, trying to avoid colliding with Tyson along their way. The table was packed with food, from sausage rolls, cakes, biscuits to salads, cheese and sandwiches all propped on plates.

"YOWCH!"

"TYSON!"

All heads raised and centered towards the crying voices. Their faces screwed up into mad laughter at what they saw.

Tyson was laid firmly on the ground, kicking his legs in the air like a baby as he held his back. Hilary was laid next to him, mentally kicking Tyson in the backside with her foot which she could barely move to her sudden painful fall.

"OW OW OW Would you cut that out?" Tyson cried, flipping slowly onto his two feet again and not even bothering to offer Hilary a helping hand. For a few seconds, everyone felt for Hilary and shook their heads in a serious nature, until Hilary began to argue back with Tyson.

"Why didn't you watch where you're going! I did warn you, twit!" Hilary screeched, her face boiling up with mad rage and anger.

The crying sound of music boomed through the room, now lowering due to Hilary's over-taking voice in rage. Ray ran over to Hilary quickly, and held out his hand for Hilary to take. He could see Tyson wasn't going to help her, by the annoyed, yet un-helpful and sneaky expression on his face. The brunette angrily nudged Ray's hand away, and stood up herself, whimpering "Ows" as she sent death glares straight into Tyson's quivering eyes. Her face began to boil hotter and hotter, burning a bright red as she clinched her fists into a tight ball and began sighing loud and angry breathes of displeasure. Now it was Tyson everyone felt for, since Hilary's over-reactive attitude and behaviour gave them the idea Tyson had something to run for.

"Gee, take it easy, Hil! It was an accident!" Tyson assured Hilary, smiling almost innocently at her.

"Grrrrr...! Yeah, well this _isn't_ an accident!" Hilary snarled, rolling up her long sleeves. She began to move towards Tyson, hovering her tight fists in the air.

Tyson backed away, holding up his two hands as if to say 'stop.' "Woa, woa woa! Tak e it easy, girl!"

"DON'T 'GIRL' ME!"

Tyson frowned. "Oh yeah, I forgot. You're a stupid alien! Go back to where you came from!"

"I'LL GET YOU!" Hilary snapped in anger, her eyes burning up even more as she attempted to pounce on Tyson, only to be held back my Ray and Max. They grabbed each one of her arms, gripping them softly just to try and calm her down a little.

Fern raised her eyebrows amusingly as the show went on. Not only did they fight like a married couple, but they seemed fairly advanced at it. The flaming-haired rouge glanced up at Kai with a shine of laughter in her eyes. A smirk touched his lips evenly, indicating he was also amused by their argument. Although, he didn't seem at all surprised about it. His eyes didn't have any surprised emotion in them. Something told her, he had seen all of this before.

"Okay, just cool it!" Sighed Max. "Tyson, go eat something? It seems music get's you a bit high.."

Ray and Max felt Hilary's force to struggle away from them loosen. Her face had settled a little, although her gripped fists told them differently. Better to be safe than sorry.

The two dragged Hilary away from the scene, pulling on her arms and crossing in front of her so she didn't have to look at Tyson. Max glanced around to see Tyson smiling smugly at Hilary in triumph. With a smile like that, no wonder she wanted to hit him.

Ray carefully guided Hilary and sat her down onto the sofa to cool off. Max stared at her, really feeling for her. Even he knew Tyson could be a pest sometimes. Although, soon enough everyone had almost immediately forgotten about the little incident and with that, the party went on.

"Hey!" Fern came running over, waving two sausage rolls in the air. "Let me talk to her, okay?

Ray slowly nodded in agreement, understanding Fern wanted to be alone with Hilary. She was probably the better person for Hilary to associate with. She was a girl, Ray had no idea what it was like being one, so he wasn't sure how to comfort hurt girls besides telling her 'Ignore Tyson', which was the only thing he could thing of saying. Fern made sure Ray and Max were away before she turned back to Hilary, giving the two boys a wave goodbye.

Fern slumped onto the arm chair next to where Hilary was sat, and pulled her a soft, convincing smile. Hilary shrugged and peeked up at Fern, only to pull back a half of one back. The loss of colour and dullness in Hilary's eyes made Hilary's smile look as fake as ever; despite it being true it was fake and forced. Fern didn't know Hilary well, if not, at all. She knew it was going to be hard to try and cheer her up, because being comforted by a stranger probably would only make her feel worse. Although, there was a chance the two could bond together. Trying was better than not. That way, she could question Hilary about Kai. Was there anything between the two? She didn't even known why she was so huffed up about it, but a little light in her mind pushed her and pushed her to get it all out of Hilary. Apart from that, Fern did want to make friends with Hilary anyway. She seemed nice enough.

The wolf felt the slime off the two sausage rolls she held in her hand squirt onto her skin with the heat of her burning fingertips. She handed Hilary the piece of soggy pastry, gritting her two rows of teeth together. Hilary stared at the sausage roll and pulled it a 'Gross' look, before thanking Fern and taking it from her hand.

"Do... you and Tyson fight alot?" Fern asked. By the glare that Hilary pulled her, that answered her question.

"Pretty much. I don't know why, though. He's fine with the others... well, I suppose him and Kai do have the odd one or two snaps, but me and him... it's like we hate each other," Hilary explained, weaving her puppy-dog expression all over her pretty face. She bowed her head and played with the pasty on the sausage roll.

Fern blinked and pulled Hilary a hard, attentive glare. "Bah, that's Tyson for ya. I haven't known him that long, but I have noticed he seems to offend easily."

"But that's not just it," Hilary sighed. "He's so mean to me! Sometimes I could just... URGHHHH!"

"Hurt him?"

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Hilary replied dryly. Fern took a quick second to gaze over towards where the party seemed to be going on. Tyson was now stuffing his face with food like there was no tomorrow. Kenny was jokily teasing him, or so it seemed. He acted totally normal, like nothing had happened.

'How can he be so... unregretful?' Fern questioned herself. Her green, sparkling eyes gazed around the room until they settled on Kai. A bit out of the blue, she began to take note of what he was doing, almost forgetting about the current situation. He was talking with Lee, or at least, Lee was doing most of the talking.

She sighed and turned back to Hilary. "Come on, fancy a dance?" She pulled Hilary a soft, positive smile. For a few seconds Hilary stared at her glumly, though suddenly lighting up and smirked back.

"Sure!" Hilary sang. The two headed off to dance, along with Max who was already up there dancing his little heart out.

Mariah and Ray stood beside the fridge, in the very back corner of the hotel room. Each of them held a soft drink in their hands, while they watched the party go on. A little affectionate, Ray gazed into Mariah's deep, golden eyes and let a smile tug at his warm lips. Mariah purred through her deep breaths, sharing the moment with Ray and smiling through her pointy teeth.

The raven-haired Neko-Jin blushed a little at Mariah's sweet and comforting smile. Still feeling guilty, Ray struggled to start a conversation with his pink feline friend. He knew he had hurt her, but she was hiding it well. He really didn't mind if she just told him how she felt, but he was scared he'd just feel even more guilty and wouldn't be able to face her at all.

"So... you find your way here okay?" Ray forced himself to speak up, as he cast his eyes upon her.

Mariah sighed, and nodded, a little disappointed. "Yeah, your directions were perfect. The wonder of cell phones, huh?"

"Yeah, I really need to get myself one," Ray grinned.

He noticed Mariah couldn't help wandering her eyes off him and onto Fern, who was dancing not so wildly with Hilary. Ray raised his eyebrows, suddenly getting the feeling something about Fern was bothering her.

"Ray? Who is she?" Asked Mariah. Ray twitched his feline features at Mariah, understanding perfectly who she meant. Thinking about his answer, for a few seconds Ray paused to gaze over at Fern.

"...I'm..." Ray began, facing Mariah again. "...not sure exactly."

Yes, that was it. Who was she? He had no idea. All he knew is that her name was Fern and his team trained her. She had mentioned her past before, but it seemed so steady, yet mysterious. Ray realized he hadn't thought about Fern this in-depth until now since Mariah mentioned her. She was mysterious in many ways, from the way she acted, to the way she just suddenly appeared out of no where. 'A battle with the Blade Warriors?' Ray remembered the very first time he had set eyes on Fern and shook her hand. Only until now he realized there was something not quite right. Something he had no idea what it was, but there was something. It was hidden so well.

Mariah raised her eyebrow as she watched Ray gaze at Fern like his eyes were glued on her. "What do you mean?"

"Uhhh..." Ray snapped out of his gazing at Fern, and set his eyes back onto Mariah. "Well, we haven't known her very long. But I'm sure you already know her name? Fern?"

"Yeah, I've met her already. But who is she? Why is she living with you?"

"Tyson offered to train her after losing a battle with the Blade Warriors."

Mariah winced her nose at Ray. "Why was she battling the Blade Warriors?"

"Apparently they wouldn't leave her alone until they had a battle."

" 'Apparently?' "? Mariah asked skeptically.

"That's what she said."

"Don't you believe her?"

Ray's eye widened at the quick and witty question. At first he didn't answer her, being careful as to what he would say next. He had no reason not to believe her, but why would the Blade Warriors want to battle her, anyway? It was all so random, for a second, he had his doubts she was telling the truth. But he didn't want it to seem like he didn't know Fern at all. He knew Mariah, no doubt she'd take it the wrong way.

'Who am I kidding? She wouldn't lie! If there's something else I know about her, I know she's not a liar!'

"I have no reason not to," Ray smiled softly.

Mariah nodded in agreement. "I suppose not."

Ray and Mariah suddenly raised their heads away from each other at focused on the sudden outburst of laughter in between each beat of the music. Fern and Hilary were giggling and holding onto each other as they danced. Fern's haired danced about through the air and slid over her two shoulders as she held her stomach as if she was trying to erase the pains in her stomach from laughing. Hilary's wild, but short hair flashed and bounced up and down as she danced the night away, looking totally recovered from her little fight with Tyson.

"She seems to get on with people well," Mariah pointed out, still staring at Fern.

"Yeah," Ray agreed, rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

"What about Kai?"

"Huh?"

"Well, he doesn't like girls does he? How do they get on?" Mariah ran a finger through her pink locks, until she reached her bow which held up her pony tail.

"Oh...okay, I guess. They seem close-ish.." Ray sighed, tensing his voice.

"Close-ish? How close?"

Ray raised an eyebrow and faced Mariah this time. What was with the sudden interest? "Uhh... I'll just stick with close-ish..."

"Woo hoo!" Ray and Mariah looked up in surprise to see Tyson flinging his body around in circles with a cake squashed in between his teeth. Kenny was stood innocently at the side until Tyson grabbed ahold of his two wrists.

"Whoa, Tyson, what are you doing?" Kenny squeaked as he was dragged off with the very hyperactive Tyson prancing back into action. The teen galloped around in circles, swinging Kenny by the wrists as he spun faster and faster.

"WAHHHHHHHHH SLOW DOWN SLOW DOWN!" Kenny muffled in between breathes, as he was spun around like he was on some crazy theme park ride.

"Hahahahahaa!" Fern's hysterical laughter almost topped the music's loud rock beat, resting her palms on her knees as she giggled away.

"What the hell man!" Lee shaped his lips into a 'o' and watched in total amusement.

Kevin and Gary watched Ray and Mariah laugh and joke with each other. Kevin fumed with envy, but held back his urge to turn green in the face. They looked so.. happy together, and Kevin knew how much Ray had hurt Mariah with his constant leaving of the team, but this time it meant war! How could Mariah be so friendly with him after all this? 'To hell with what Lee says... I don't know if I can forgive Ray. Just why is Mariah acting like this? Doesn't she understand? He's a traitor, and always will be!'

Kevin growled like a vicious lion, before gazing up at Gary who was also staring exasperated at Ray, with his cheeks stuffed with food like a hamster. "Do you forgive Ray?"

Gary frowned and looked hurt at the question. "No. But let's just leave it at that. If Lee finds out he's kill us."

"Hmmm...revenge is sweet," Kevin sneered slyly.

"Aww, c'mon Kevin! You wanted to support Ray, didn't you? That's why we're here!" Gary said in his usual dumb tone.

Kevin sighed. "I know, I know. But now I'm here, just watching him with those.. Bladebreakers makes me sick!"

Gary grabbed another cake from the tray, and added it to his collection which seemed to be piling up in his hands. "Well, he had the choice of either entering this tournament with us, or re-joining the Bladebreakers. We didn't want to join, remember? We took a break from blading. So he did the right thing and joined his old team mates. We were just holding him back. It wasn't fair."

"...I guess you're right." Kevin stared doubtfully at Ray and Mariah, then turned back up to Gary. "So, wanna dance?"

Gary's heart warmed up at the thought. A smirk spread across his broad lips. "That's the spirit!" The two headed off together for the dance floor, and immediately began dancing like wild jungle kids.

Fern and Hilary took a quick break from dancing, and took a moment to catch their breath. Fern's eyes shimmered through the deep, rich lighting, as the two rested close by to where most of the lights were hung. Hilary nudged Fern jokily, before standing up straight again when she felt fully restored. Fern examined Hilary's cute outfit. She wore a light brown top, which flashed her stomach slightly. Over her hips, was a short, black skirt which reached her knee line.

"You look nice, Hilary," Fern complimented, smiling. Before Hilary could reply, Tyson had over-heard and butt into their conversation.

"No she doesn't, she looks like a slut!" Tyson joked, wincing his eyes at Hilary.

Fern growled. How could he say that? Now that was going over the top. Before she could set out an attack Tyson, Hilary raised her hand in front of Fern, stopping her.

"Tyson, there's no 'I' in slut, but there is a 'U'," Hilary smirked in triumph. Fern grinned.

Tyson rubbed his chin, taking a few seconds to let the words reach the front of his small brain.

"HEY! I'm not a slut!" Tyson barked, pulling a hurtful look.

"Yes you are!" Hilary argued.

"Do you see me pull girls every day?" Tyson yelled sarcastically.

"No, but I see you pull your rip cord everyday! You beyblade slut!"

"Oh boy, that's a new one!" Tyson smirked.

Kai slapped his forehead. Things between these two weren't ever going to change, even if it meant life and death. They were inseparable, but for the wrong reason. Listening to them arguing all the time was really starting to piss him off, although he had to admit, it was fairly amusing. Now the two of them were growing up, and they would indeed be 15 soon, made Kai cringe. They'd learn new words. Uncolourful words.

"Alright!" Mariah hissed, all attention settling onto her now. With all eyes gazing at her rosy face, she couldn't help but feel a thrush of awkwardness spread through her body like butter. "Alright..." She sighed softer this time. "Let's turn the music off and play a game, okay?"

The pink Neko-Jin let a soft purr slip through her lips, before letting her hand rip through her skirt pocket, and taking out a shiny dice. All eyes focused on the square object that sat cupped in her palm. A smile cracked through her sharp teeth. "I brought this especially. Wanna know how to play?"

"Oh! Yes!" Tyson smirked, as he turned the button on the radio into the off position. Suddenly, everything feel silent.

"Okay," Mariah sighed with pleasure, now that the music was off she finally felt relaxed. "Let's sit in a circle."

Everyone exchanged glances in the room and shrugged, before sitting down onto soft carpet in a circle. Mariah pulled everyone an assertive gaze, before actually sitting down herself. She slumped in between Ray and Lee, carefully folding her legs underneath her body. Sitting with a skirt on wasn't the easiest of talents, and when there was about a dozen guys staring at her it made her feel slightly self-conscious. Max was sat with his knees touching his chin next to Ray, followed by Tyson, Hilary, Fern, Kenny, Kevin, Gary and back to Lee. It was until now Fern realized someone was missing; someone vital to the party. Her eyes wandered around the room, casting on the cold phoenix, who was leaning against the wall, as usual.

"Hey, Kai! Come and join in!" Fern chirped. All eyes in the room set on Kai, much to his unwanted pleasure.

"Yeah, c'mon bud!" Max smiled at Kai, earning a quick glare.

Kai sighed, a grin registering onto his face. For a moment, he stared at his team and The White Tigers in pure interest, of what this game was all about. Surprisingly, he moved forward away from the wall, everyone now smiling and talking excitedly as the team captain began to make his way over to the circle. He sat next to Fern, though every other place would be just as good. There just happened to space next to her.

"Alright..." Mariah grinned sneakily. "This is how we play. Basically, it's just like Truth or Dare. But, there's a little more to it than that..." Everyone watched her curiously, not interrupting her once as she spoke. "We take turns and roll the dice, but whatever number it lands on, you have to do something different. So, if you get a 1, you have to hug someone in the group. If you get a 2, you have to reveal one of your secrets. Nothing too deadly, mind." Tyson gazed at Mariah, his tongue almost dripping saliva as he was already smiling in triumph. "3 is, you gotta tell the truth. So someone else has to ask you a question. 4, you have to wear a member of the opposite sex's clothes. 5..." Mariah's sudden 'I'm up to no good' look made Tyson's face drop. "You have to go commando for the rest of the party," Tyson's jaw dropped even wider, evil glittering through his two eyes. Kai raised an eyebrow at her, while everyone else just laughed it off. "And 6, you gotta kiss a member of the opposite sex."

"HAHA, alright! This should be fun!" Tyson beamed.

"Yeah, but you won't be saying that when you get either number 4, 5 or 6," Smirked Ray.

"This is stupid..." Lee coldly commented, glaring at his team mate.

"Pfff. Where's your sense of humour, Lee? Anyway, I'll start!" Mariah grinned.

"5! 5! 5!" Tyson chuckled, earning a death glare from Mariah.

"EW! Tyson! Knock it off!" She squealed, hesitating to roll her dice. "On second though, the commando part doesn't work on girls. Just boys! Instead, the girls just get to roll the dice again if they get a 5." Many moans came from around the room, but she just smiled and shook her head. With that, she rolled the dice onto the soft carpet, silencing as it hit the ground. It landed upright onto a 1, to her relief.

"Yay! A 1" She purred in delight. "Now who should I hug...?" She gazed around at everyone, picking out the 'maybes' and 'no's. 'Hmmm... Kai? Nope. Fern? Na... Kevin...? Hmmm... no... Hilary.. maybe?'

Hilary looked up at Mariah with puppy-dog eyes, spreading a warm presence of cuteness around the room. "Hilary!" Mariah suddenly declared, embracing Hilary into a tight girly hug. Hilary jumped at first, but finally absorbed Mariah's heat off her body and hugged her back.

"Mmm... can I go next?" Kevin pleaded, getting into the swing of things.

"Sure!" Mariah grinned, sitting back down next to Ray. Kevin grabbed the dice with full enthusiasm in his movements, and immediately rolled the dice onto the carpet. His eyes suddenly wept and tore apart as the dice rolled onto a 2.

Tyson's face lit up. "Haha, unlucky, Kevin!" Kevin scowled at Tyson, his green eyes flickering through the slight darkness.

Lee frowned. "This shouldn't be a surprise. We tell each other all of our secrets." Kevin gulped at Lee's comment, tugging at the neck of his top before wiping the sweat from his forehead. Ray grinned suddenly, getting the feeling the White Tigers weren't as close as Lee anticipated.

"Don't be too sure, Lee!" Ray snickered.

"Well? C'mon Kevin, tell us a secret!" Mariah begged, getting a little impatient. Everyone had set their undivided attention onto Kevin, enjoying watching him struggle and blush as he tried to think of one of his least-embarrassing secrets.

"Uhhh..." Kevin began, uneasy that every eye in the room was set on him. "Uhhh..." Not wanting to let his friends down for a good laugh, he finally managed to pluck up the courage from deep within his mind, and he spoke almost aloud. "When I was little... I slept with a cuddly toy Panda named Erbert..." Kevin's face turned into a bright tomato, as he glared almost skeptically at the motionless faces that settled on him.

"Hahahahahahahahahaaaa..."Tyson grinned slyly, almost toppling over with laughter. Even Kai had managed to smile, even if it was only faint. The swell of warm embarrassment and chuckles swept the room, the only thing poor Kevin could do was bury his face in his hands.

"GUYS! I'll bet you have all had stuffed animals at one point!" Kevin yelled in a dramatic tone. After that, everyone fell silent as opposed to Kevin's statement and pulled guilty looks.

"Anyway..." Mariah sighed, trying to snap everyone out of their staring phases and trying to avoid her own embarrassment. "Who wants to go next? How about you, Tyson?" Mariah glared at Tyson with a faint smile, emphasizing the name 'Tyson'. 'If he thinks he's so clever, he's got alot of drawbacks to take care of...' Mariah grinned wider.

Tyson rose his chest with pride. "Big deal, sure, why not?" Kenny shook his head in amusement at Tyson's cocky attitude. Hopefully he wouldn't be like this at the final.

Tyson moved his slanted cap to the side cooly, before picking up the dice and rolling it with style, watching it wide-eyed as it began to hit the ground and spun like a beyblade. His eyes darted quickly onto his staring team mates, then back onto the dice as it settled on the carpet.

"A 4?" Tyson cried, almost laughing. "A 4? Well that's easy! ... Uhhh... what was 4 again?"

Everyone began to snicker. "You have to wear a member of the opposite sex's clothes." Mariah chuckled. Tyson's face dropped, a startled expression following on around his face, though his eyes, in his cheeks, and the sweat which had suddenly emerged from his forehead indicated he was nervous.

Kai sighed and pushed his falling scarf back behind his shoulder. "Mariah, are you crazy?" He had to admit, it was going a little too far. Even if it meant seeing that cocky little smile wipe off Tyson's face.

"Awww, come on Kai! Just be glad it's not you doing it," The pink Neko-Jin assured Kai, brushing back her pink floppy hair.

"Well? Off you go Tyson!" Fern smirked, resting her elbow on the top of her kneecap, flicking her tongue at Tyson. His jaw was still gaping at the number on the dice, glaring at it like he hated it. "You can wear one of my tops."

"Hn..." Kai smiled serenely this time, finally finding the fun in all this. His lush lips tore into a deepening chuckle, picturing what Tyson would look like. There was a doubt that Tyson wouldn't even attempt to do the dare, but then again, it was Tyson. He was competitive, usually he was up for anything.

"Otherwise, you'll have to forfeit. We'll hold you down and bombard your mouth with Kai's socks," Fern giggled, winking at Tyson. His face suddenly lit up and burned a deep, luxurious red. He clinched his fists, nawing his teeth together as he pulled everyone in the room death glares. Kai raised his eyebrows at Fern skeptically. For some reason, he had the feeling he was more of the victim than Tyson. He didn't want his socks sucked inside a smelly gob like Tyson's, which he guessed had probably been stuffed with almost everything.

"Fern's top, Kai's socks, Fern's top, Kai's socks.. such a hard decision..' Tyson rubbed his head evenly as he thought. Speaking of Kai's socks, that reminded him of when he was dared to wear Kai's socks to see if he noticed. He chuckled a little, everyone stared at Tyson like he was weird. After all, Tyson was never caught for that little antic.

"I'm going," Tyson said suddenly in a plain, strong voice. Everyone watched musingly as Tyson stood up in a very masculine form, raising his two hands above his head and folding them behind, trying to show his team he didn't care. The teen tried to hide his slight frustration and embarrassment, and turned his back to them as he began to walk towards the bedroom.

"WOO HOO! So this means you'll do the dare? Good! I'll get you ready..." Fern grinned sneakily, grabbing ahold of Kai's arm in order to pull herself up. She shivered at the slight touch of his tense muscle, gripping it gently but hard enough so she could stand on her two feet. She turned back to the teams suddenly before wandering in the bedroom after Tyson. "No peaking, now. This is gonna be a surprise!" And with that, she skipped happily into the bedroom alongside Tyson.

Patiently, everyone watched the closed curtain and waited until Tyson and Fern were done. Every now and then they would hear 'Ows' coming from the bedroom... that gave them something to think about.

"Hey hey Woa, what are you doing?" Tyson cried from inside the bedroom.

Everyone raised an eyebrow.

"WAIT! DON'T TOUCH ME THERE!"

"Oh my..." Was all Max could manage. Kenny glared at the curtains which defended all eye-contact possible from peeking into the bedroom. Hilary and Mariah just couldn't stop staring altogether, their jaws, reaching their shoulders. The White Tigers and Ray simply rolled their eyes, despite being curious as to what they were up to. Kai rolled his bottom lip upwards, detecting strange and weird things going on behind that curtain.

"This isn't what I was expecting!" Tyson growled again in a nervous tone.

'I'm beginning to wonder...' Kai gulped to Dranzer.

'Wonder about what? Whether Fern will ever do that to you?' Dranzer giggled lightly, turning Kai's shocked face into a rotten grin.

'Heh heh. You just don't know when you give up do you? CUT IT OUT!'

"Okayyyyyyyy!" Fern broke Kai's conversation with Dranzer, as she poked her head out from the side of the curtain, grinning like she was up to no good. "And now, I proudly introduce, the new, and improved, Tysonette! WEYYYY THREE CHEERS!"

Fern stepped aside, to reveal Tyson, who came sluggishly walking out from the curtain...

All faces dropped, tongues dripping.

"Hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Ever mouth in the room spilt into mad laughter, minus Kai who simple chuckled at the sight. Oh boy, _what_ a sight. Tyson's face glowed a tomato red, a mixture of embarrassment and anger brewing up in his eyes, his mouth shivering and nose twitching like he was about to explode in total humiliation.

"What has happened to you?" Max laughed almost uncontrollably, dripping saliva as he tried to speak in between each breath he took to catch his breath from all of his laughing.

Fern was holding her stomach, backing away from Tyson slowly as tears ringed down her face in heavy droplets.

Hilary bawled into an even heavier laughter as she gaped at the sight. "What has she _done_ to you?

* * *

**AOD: To be honest, I was dreading posting that chapter. I questioned myself alot, 'Hmmmm... is it good enough or not?' But anyway, I was originally going to go ahead and write the whole party in all one chapter, but when I came to it, it was way too long. So, I've separated the party into 2 parts. Part 2 is now Chapter 16, so everything I had planned for chapter 16.. is now chapter 17. XD. I won't confuse you anymore. **

**Ray: Hmmm... is it just me or are these chapters getting longer?**

**AOD: Yeah, I know. Sorry about the lengths.. trust me, after chapter 16 they will be narrowed down. /Rubs hands together/ I can't wait to write chapter 17. /grins/**

**Mariah/twitches nose/ Coming soon people, coming soon! Part 2!**


	16. Dancing 'til the End of the Night

**ANJ: Couple of things.**

**Fern: Yay! Thanks for the reviews. /hugs everyone/ And ANJ doesn't own _Bonnie Tyler's_ I Need A Hero. (Classic XD) Lawl.**

**Kenny: She's changed her penname! To Angel Neko-Jin /Stupid cat-obsessor/ So yes, she was once AngelOfDarkness83. EEP!**

**Max: Amongst-Azarath, sorry ANJ hasn't reviewed your fic yet, she was busy writing this chapter for a few days, but I promise she'll read and review it by Saturday! I'll make sure she does! grins**

**Kai: AND I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY HAVE A HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SOI! WHOO HOO/Glompifies/ D Hip Hip , HOORAY! Hip Hip , HOORAY!**

**/Everyone claps and cheers/**

**Kai/Wolf whistles/**

**Tyson: Yeah, and don't eat too much cake. I want some too you know! smiles innocently This chapter was written especially for you, Soiness, as a lil birthday pressie! All I can say is, without Soi, this chapter would have turned out a right big mess and really really rubbish. So thank Soi! Thanks for your encouragement/huggles/ It's long. Just for you. Enjoy. :)**

* * *

**Dance Like No One's Watching**

* * *

**Chapter 16- Dancing 'til the End of the Night**

"Why, hello there, Tysonette. Looking very hot..." Max giggled. Literally, Tyson's face appeared like it was burning with fury. The witty comments weren't helping though, if Max was going to achieve anything from this, he knew it would be perfectionate revenge.

Suddenly Wolf whistles came from all around the room, making Tyson twitch in disturbance.

Kai fought with his uprising urge to laugh, biting his lower lip with his top row of teeth. But it was hard, surely seeing Tyson looking like a cross-dresser was bound to make him laugh, the only problem was, he didn't want to laugh. Chuckling or giggling was enough for him, but this time, it only got the better of him. Kai's attempt to suppress his laughter failed, and with that, he joined his teammates with a loud and cheerful laughter.

Tyson only crunched his fists harder, folding his two bare arms over his almost naked body. Tightly fastened around Tyson's body, was a dark red corset, which had a flarey upper part which strapped around his chest, flashing his big-boned shoulders perfectly. Wearing bright orange hot pants, Tyson's bare legs shivered in rage, and the pink bunny slippers that he wore made him look simply adorable.

"You look good enough to eat!" Mariah smirked.

'Wait a sec... Fern wears corsets?' Kai suddenly thought, scratching his head.

"ENOUGH!" Tyson yelled, causing the laughter to slowly lower, until it came to a sudden stop, with only grins to remain on each of the blader's faces. "Just you wait! I'll get you all back!"

Fern grinned sarcastically. "I'm sure you will, Tyson."

"Heh heh... You'd pass as a girl!" Kevin smirked.

Tyson winced his eyes at Kevin. "Can we just get on with the game now?"

"Haha, sure. You won't get a dare worse than that anyway, eh Tyson?" Fern giggled, her mouth rolling and squeezing inwards, trying to hold back her laughter.

"That's why you're gonna wear some of my underwear," Tyson told her.

"Ew! I mean.. no thanks... I'll just wear Kai's scarf.. that's IF I get a 4, anyway?" She replied, glancing over at Kai for a split second. Kai widened his eyes a little, and glanced over at Fern quickly without realizing he had. Wearing his scarf? No one wore his scarf, apart from him of course.

A tiny, annoying little feeling pushed into the center of Kai's concentration, a feeling which you get when you feel drunk. But that was the thing, he was sober. And that feeling, was not being bothered at the slightest. He began to think, so what if Fern wore his scarf? He just simply laughed at himself for letting that little thought bother him. 'Meh.'

Tyson glared down at his body, examining the clothes in closer inspection. He hadn't actually seen what he looked like yet, but he didn't want to find out. It felt... weird wearing girl's clothes. The corset was tight as uncomfortable, the hot pants were very short and revealing, and he thought the bunny slippers were stupid and childish. It suddenly hit Tyson that he'd never actually wore girl's clothes before, and this was possibly the only chance he'd ever get to wear them. Not like he wanted to, but it gave him an insight on how crazy girls were, that they wore all of this short, tight top and revealing pants sort of stuff. "Fern, seriously, how do you wear this stuff? It's so... so..."

"...Awesome! You'll be wearing those clothes again, won't you Fern?" Kenny dreamily asked, drifting his eyes onto Fern dosily. Everyone pulled Kenny a skeptical look, including Fern who let a small giggle slip through her lips.

"Kenny! I didn't know you joked that way!" Fern laughed, amused. She slapped Kenny's back jokily, and pulled him into a quick tight hug.

Kenny blushed. 'No! Damn! Did I say that out loud?'

Tyson raised both eyebrows and smirked cheekily. Since _when_ did Kenny joke like that? "Kenny! What do you mean!"

Kenny wiggled out from Fern's arms, and buried his face deep into the palms of his hands, annoyed at himself for his stupidity. 'NO! DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN ! I need... an excuse...' For a few seconds, he thought about his answer carefully and dug into the back of his mind where all of that clever wittiness lied. Suddenly it hit him.

"Oh! I mean, surely you won't wear them now that _Tyson's_ wore them, will you?" Kenny sighed with relief, Fern's face now settling down and his other teammates laughed at his comment. He could only hope he had pulled this one off.

Tyson glared at Kenny. "YOU CHEEKY LITTLE-"

"Hehe, I'll just have to scrub them extra hard," Fern ignored Tyson and completely cut him off. She then turned to him and smiled. "Sit down, Tyson! Let's get on with the game!"

Tyson took a deep, long breath, sticking out his chest and dusting himself off, as he sat down beside Kai. Pulling down his hot pants, Tyson exchanged glances with everyone who were amusingly staring at him as he proposed a laid-back atmosphere. Kai stared at Tyson wide-eyed, looking him up and down. He sure did look weird, it almost give Kai the chills.

Fern sat down beside Kai, making the circle a whole again.

"So..." Tyson began, all eyes fixed on him. He turned to Kai. "Your go, Kai." He would never forget that cocky little laugh Kai had let out before. He didn't mind so much that Max was laughing, because he laughs at anything silly. But he must truly look stupid for Kai to laugh out loud.

Kai glared at Tyson and narrowed his eyelids, sending Tyson death glares through his flashing mahogany eyes. Now he had had his fun, it was time for Tyson to get a good laugh out of all of this. If he didn't know better, he'd say that Tyson was only taking this opportunity at embarrassing Kai to out-do his own embarrassment. Kai grinned slowly. No way was he going to look a fool. He assured himself it wouldn't happen.

"Fine," Kai shrugged, grabbing the dice from the carpet. Washes of shocked expression swirled on each blader's face in disbelief. They certainly didn't expect that, Kai didn't seem the type to agree to childish things.

'You learn something knew everyday...' Fern smirked, removing any baffled emotion from her eyes. She sneered silently, secretly hoping that Kai would roll a number which he'd regret. 'I wonder what he'll get. Should be funny.'

"Woo Hoo! Get rolling!" Tyson grinned slyly. Kai rolled his eyes at Tyson, as everyone else's eyes tensed and stared as Kai gave the dice a good shake then let it lose, spinning for a while until it reached the ground.

Finally it stopped spinning.

Kai's eyes widened. For what laid before him, had him stoned to the bones. He blinked a few times, staring unbelievably at the number. It ringed through his mind, crushing his eyes into a tiny million bits as they strained forcefully at the dice. From the back of his mind he could hear the snickering of his team mates, only for it to be a total blur. He was too concentrated on the outcome.

'No...not that. Anything but that. That devilish... number 6. 6. 6.!' Six. It raced a thousand miles per hour through his mind and clung to him like flypaper. He tried to force it away from his mind, trying to focus on declining the dare. But it wouldn't go. It just wouldn't budge. Not even an inch. It was stuck there.

"AH! Kai you have to kiss a girl! Oh boy, oh boy!" Max cheeped loudly like a new-born chicken, flashing his rows of white teeth at Kai. With no reaction, Max as well as everyone else stared at Kai, who seemed to be really deep-in thought. He looked at the dice so seriously.

Finally, the blue-haired boy looked up from the carpet, a sudden wave of red tingling inside his shivering eyes. He felt so scared. So nervous. But he couldn't show it. No. He just _couldn't_... His eyes casted on Fern, her eyes already drifted on him. 'No. I can't do it.'

'It's just a game, master!' Dranzer assured his nervous friend. Kai swallowed hard.

'I know! I know! It's just...'

Before Kai could finish, Tyson butt in. "Well, who you gonna kiss?'

Hilary smiled and fluttered her eyelashes in hope.

'Uhhh...' Kai's mind drifted lightly to that small kiss on the cheek Fern had given him yesterday. Why did this dare remind him so much of her? Just because kissing was involved in both cases, it haunted his mind so badly. Tyson's words cracked open the light in his mind, finally driving him back to reality. The worried faces of the bladers that sat before him, made him realize to pull himself together. 'Me and my weird imagination...'

"No one," Kai stated, simply and coldly, his eyes returning back to their normal state. Mariah sighed, but smirked.

"How's about Fern?" She teased. "You know you want to."

Fern flinched and blushed a deep red. "MARIAH! Shush!"

Mariah looked innocent. "_What_? It's not like he hasn't ruled you out completely. You saw his face, he was thinking about who to kiss." The Neko-Jin laughed, enjoying winding her up. If there was nothing to hide, then she had nothing to get embarrassed about, right?

Kai growled, his ears almost steaming hot air. "NO! I won't do it!" He cried angrily.

"Then you'll have to forefi-"

"No I won't. I don't know why I played such a stupid game anyway. I refuse to."

Ray raised an eyebrow. "Gee man, it's just a game. You know.. a game.. for fun..."

The phoenix just simply shook his head and pulled a disgusted look. "Whatever. I'm still not doing it."

"BUT BUT ! I HAD TO!" Tyson cried, his mouth hanging open in distress.

"Then you should have done the less-moron thing and refused to do it!" Kai said, a small smirk appearing as soon as it vanished from the corner of his mouth. Tyson's gob draped open even wider. Before he could say anything else, Mariah spoke up.

"Hmmm. Fine. Who wants a go next?" She asked. There was no point arguing with Kai, he'd still manage to find a way around it. He _always_ did.

"Me! Me!" Max raised his hand excitedly in the air until Mariah threw him the dice over. Rubbing the dice in between his hands, he gave it a good shake before throwing it confidently onto the carpet like Kai had done previously, only he didn't manage to actually do the dare.

It landed on a 5.

The blonde sweatdropped and held out his hand to stop his team mates from giggling. "Wait, wait. Let me guess this one. It's going commando, right?" Everyone nodded amusingly.

"Great..."

"YES!" Tyson called out in triumph. Everyone looked at him weirdly. He stopped and pulled a nervously grin. "Heh... what?"

"Yes Tyson, this will be embarrassing for me. Nothing beats your dare though!" Max giggled, Tyson's face burning up again into a bright red tomato.

Fern's face brightened. "So you'll do it?"

Max nodded. "Yeah, why not?"

"YES! YES! DO IT NOW, DO IT NOWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Tyson urged.

"...You want me to get changed in front of you?"

"...Yes... NO! NO! I MEAN, just hurry up!"

The blonde glared intensely at Tyson. It seemed Tyson was just edging to get Max to look a fool, and that only built a muddle of nerves inside. There was no doubt about it that another player would also get a 5, so he wasn't deeply against the idea. It was for fun, and unlike Kai, he was willing to do the dare. He even admired Tyson that he actually went through with his. One last look at Tyson, a giggle slipped through his lips before he turned on tail and ran into the bedroom.

Minutes later, Max emerged from the room, his bright and bubbly face was gleaming and his blue, rich eyes flickered with happiness. He showed no sign of embarrassment, discomfort or neglect. He simply skipped in to the room just as he had willingly accepted the dare. However, there was something about his face Tyson didn't trust. He was up to something, plain and simple.

"Wait a minute...," Tyson began, standing up and pulling down his tight hot pants. "How do we know you really did it? We'll have to test!"

Max nervously winced at Tyson. "Oh? How so?"

"We can't test! How we gonna do that?" Pondered Lee, raising his eyebrows.

"Like this," Tyson said calmly. He suddenly bounced over to Max and positioned his two hands to form a gun, and pointed his two fingers against Max's chest. "ALRIGHT, SHOW US THE UNDERWEAR!"

Max grinned and raised both his arms. "Alright, alright! If it makes you happy!" With that, Max reached into his dark orange trouser pocket and brought out a nice pair of dark green underpants.

"Ohhhh, silky.." Tyson laughed, softly nipping the undies with his fingertips.

"HEY! Get your own!" Max complained, pulling the pair of undies back away from Tyson's reach. "Anyway, I'll bet silky underwear would suit you more than me." Max grinned, referring to Tyson's clothes.

The blue-haired teen growled and clinched his fists, but before he could do anything, Ray ran in between them. "GUYS! Stop! Uhmm, should we leave it here? I ummm... Well, there's something I need to do. Mariah, care to give me a hand?"

At first, Mariah stared at Ray for a few seconds. His eyes kept rolling side-ways, he was clearly indicating something to her. Still unsure as to what he meant, she decided to go along with it anyway. "OH! Sure!" The pink Neko stood up, a little curious.

"Max, turn the radio on..." Ray ordered, pointing to the radio.

"Huh... what are you guys..." Kevin wondered, resting his two pointy teeth on the bottom of his lip.

Max narrowed his eyes at Ray and stuck out his bottom lip. Ray flashed his widened eyes at Max, then casted them almost unnoticeably at Kai. The blonde suddenly lifted his head higher.

"OH! YEAH! Sure thing!" Max finally understood and ran over to the radio, and turned on a music station.

"And now, we get back to the oldies night, for all you young lovers out there!" The radio presenter announced.

_Where have all good men gone_

_And where are all the gods?_

_Where's the street-wise Hercules_

_To fight the rising odds?_

A very feminine voice sang through the speakers, every corner of the room being filled with the strong beat of the music. Tyson smirked. "Haha, talk about all the old songs coming back in to action!" Max laughed and rubbed the back of his head, The White Tigers, Hilary, Mariah, Fern and Kai were staring at him so blankly- it was all so random.

"PARTYYYY!" Tyson screamed, grabbing the hand of both Mariah and Hilary and pulling them towards his revealing chest.

"EW!" Hilary screamed, using her hand to push Tyson away from her.

Most of them simply shrugged, and started dancing. Kevin and Gary jumped up, and joined Tyson with his crazy fast dancing even though the song was pretty slow. Ray glanced in all directions, keeping an eye on Kai before he secretly leaped through the small crowd and jumped behind the kitchen counter, landing on his two feet like a cat. No-one could see him behind there, which he purposely noted. Max glimpsed over and saw that Ray had indeed hid behind the counter. He quickly glanced over at Kai, and to see him looking elsewhere, Max followed Ray and instead walked around the counter instead of diving over it.

Ray was sat on his hind with his legs sprawled out in front of him, Max now joining him. He slumped next to Ray, trying to ignore the music in the background and concentrate on their next task. Getting the cake ready.

_Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?_

_Late at night I toss and turn and dream of what I need_

Ray turned his head towards Max, half of his face in complete darkness and the other half filled with rainbow colours, almost too bright to even notice Ray's bright yellow eyes. "Okay, I'll get the cake ready. I almost forgot, I'm so relieved I remembered. I'm actually surprised Tyson remembered we planned this and realized what we were doing back then. Anyway, you know the plan. We need to keep Kai occupied while I ice the sponge cake. Oh, and I need you to tell all the White Tigers and Hilary what's going on, otherwise they might say something to Kai. And, try get Fern to talk to him or something. Any distractions will be good." Ray requested quietly under the music. "And make sure everyone has their gifts ready before I light the candles."

Max nodded agreeingly. "Right. I'll be right back. I'll come back to help you." Max crawled across the cold tiled floor, keeping his eyes directly on Kai. He quickly went from person to person, explaining to them quickly what him and Ray were up to. Thankfully they understood. 'Now for Fern...'

The red-head was stood directly across from Kai, at the opposite wall, seeming a little hesitant about something. She was nibbling on her finger-tips, staring at Kai with her two bright green orbs.

"Hey Girl!"

Fern jumped at the sudden cheery voice and spun around in the direction it came from, becoming face to face with a smiling blonde. When she saw who it was, she sighed and wiped her forehead. "Oh, hey Max!"

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong_

_And he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

"Sorry if I scared you! Anyway, this is just a quick chat!" Max smiled. Fern watched Max curiously as he continued. "Well, the reason why we suddenly stopped the game, was because we suddenly remembered we hadn't iced the cake yet! So Ray is doing it now, but we need Kai to-"

"Oh, I see," Fern laughed, before he could finish. "You want me to amuse him, while you do that, right?"

Max nodded and smiled. "Right."

She looked over at Kai again, his arms were folded across his chest. What a surprise. It wasn't going to be easy, but if it meant giving Kai one last surprise, it would be worth it. She sighed, and turned to Max. "Sure. You go do whatever you gotta do!"

Max gave Fern a quick salute. "Thank you, Ma' Lady!" She watched him run off into the disco-darkness. Taking a deep breath, she turned her head back towards Kai, and stared at him for a few seconds before actually wandering over to him. She began to think. Kai would only get bored of talking, he'd soon notice they were up to something. And if anything, she guessed he found talking kind of boring; he didn't do much of it, so he clearly wasn't interested. There had to be something else... something clever.

She waved her eyes around the room, to check out the other bladers to see if she could incorporate ideas from them. Gary, Kevin, Mariah, Hilary and Tyson were dancing. Lee and Kenny were nowhere in sight, so she could only guess they was behind the counter helping Ray and Max with the cake and candles.

Then it hit her, the one thing she'd never expect to see Kai trying out. _Dancing..._

Oh how evil she felt right now.

'Hehe... watch out Kai..' Giving her shoulders a quick shrug, Fern walked over to where Kai was stood, a smile clearly spread across her pale face. She stopped just before him, and stood and smiled evilly at him, trying to catch his undivided attention.

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light_

_He's gotta be sure_

_And it's gotta be soon_

_And he's gotta be larger than life_

His posture still remained, his arms folded, eyes closed. She was beginning to get a little impatient. 'Well, if he's not gonna do anything, then I will!' Reaching out, Fern snatched Kai's wrist from underneath his upper arm, his muscle tissue tensing as she did so in inexpectance. Kai's eyes bolted open, revealing a pair of very widened crimson orbs. Red hair flashed through his eyes, a tiny amount of dissatisfaction lingering in his mind and body. The force of Fern's hand pulling him towards her succeeded, as he was sucked away from his usual position and brought into the world of Fern, her hand gently, but almost unlockable fell into his hand, as he was forcefully pulled into a walking motion. Kai's eyes suddenly shot open wider, when he realized what she was up to. She was directing him straight onto the dance floor, and after discovering this, Kai grabbed onto her wrist caressly, stopping her from walking any further. She spun around and faced Kai, staring at her almost hatefully.

"What are you doing?" Kai demanded to know, his hand still wrapped around her wrist. Fern smiled.

"Kai, in all honesty, have you ever danced before?" She asked, still keeping up the persuasive smile.

He hesitated a little. What type of question was that? What did it matter? He thought it was so stupid and pointless that he just had to answer it to prove his point. Dancing was stupid. "No."

Scarily, Fern's face brightened into a cunning grin, her cheeks puffed with happiness. "Well then? Let's go! I'll show you how to dance!"

"But I-" Fern suddenly gripped Kai's hand tighter, flinging him and herself straight into the middle of the room underneath the wild disco lights. He nervously growled under his breathe, annoyed that for once in his life, a girl was taking lead of him, and he didn't even get the finish what he was about to say. It infuriated him. A girl, someone as simple; and weird, as her, could talk him in to anything. She unlike alot of people, didn't seem to let him get a say in and didn't take no for an answer. '_Why_ can't I fight it...why...'

Fern stopped suddenly in a far-away area from the kitchen counters, turned around and faced Kai, still keeping ahold of his hand like she was trying to keep him from running off. Kai stared at her dumbly, watching the sparkling, natural glow of her orbs glisten and twinkle, as her odd-shaded face released oceans of colours from the rainbow lights, gently caressing her features and washing her pale face in to a mixture of emotions. She stared back, Kai's face almost duplicating her's, the colours mixing together and leaking on to their faces, deepened into amazed and hesitant looks.

He looked so great, so handsome, so cute, so dignifying, so... close. His attitude, frame, cold posture, yet a relaxing inner-self... Burst into a million pieces and hit Fern as hard as a rock, absorbing his greatest qualities. An affectionate face was ruling over her, she almost felt weak at the legs, weak in the stomach, almost too weak to carry on. 'What is this feeling...'

Faster and faster, 'it' draped around her shivering body, covering her almost completely, her unstoppable and sudden urge to hold on to Kai mouthed rapidly through her mind, her body, a voice shouting at her from her heart, dribbling down her fingertips, wanting to be pressed against Kai's face in the most softest motion.

Kai raised an eyebrow at her weird staring-mode, her confused and scared face turning a deep white, out-doing the rainbow lights astonishingly. She gasped at the sight of his raised eyebrow, making her realize this _was _reality. And no time to be thinking.

Grinning, she tightened her hold against Kai's hand due to the slight slacking, and without warning, took his other in great determination. 'Let's go.'

_Somewhere after midnight_

_In my wildest fantasy_

_Somewhere just beyond my reach_

_There's someone reaching back for me_

Fern pulled Kai further towards her, although she could feel his tense grip against her hand, and his discomfort. Her aim was, to give Kai a good time. She began to dance in with the beat of the slow verse, mimicking the lyrics as her face stayed attentively on Kai. He looked so nervous, it made her giggle a little. 'Nervous Kai, CUTE KAI!'

She smirked at him, moving her arm further up his buff arm, until she reached the edge of his elbow and pulled his arm into a supple movement, draping his arm around her waist. His hand was sprawled on her side, his fingers tingling at the soft touch of her curvy body. She maneuvered her hand back in to his other one, and began to lift her legs into a catchy movement, stepping backwards with the beat and pulling a very apprehended Kai along with her.

Kai struggled to follow her moves, sweating madly down his forehead and tinkles slipping over his muscles. So close to her face, Kai faced the ground, having a hard time keeping his feet from standing on hers.

_Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat_

_It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet_

'This isn't right! I do not dance! Since when did I dance? It's not me, not me!' Kai's muddled head swept with a mix of unnatural commotion. Since when did he think so much? Since he couldn't find that dark side to him- it had totally vanished from his head, that cold, motionless draft that was always the key to his reputation. Now it all seemed shattered. He couldn't find that key to unlock who he really was. Distant, grumpy, heartless.

Maybe this was a new him...

_Kai cut her off, knowing she was going to start off with another essay. "Someone...who's heartless?" Kai tried to finish her sentence. To his surprise, she sat up in the bed, and placed her arms stretched out over the bed._

_"NO!" Fern cried, shaking her head. "Everyone has a heart!"_

He remembered that clearly. It flashed in his mind, over and over. She was right. Everyone had a heart. Strange how something as simple as that, which happened a distant week ago, could keep so focused in his mind for so long.

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong_

_And he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

Fern let go of one of Kai's hands, and brought their joint arms up and created an arch shape. She twirled around under his high arm, then slowly brought her body up close to his, resting her one free hand gently on his shoulder, and placing one of her legs in between his. He looked at her in surprise as she did so, but she simply laughed, still holding onto his shoulder, she slid backwards gently and used Kai for support.

Kai's heart skipped a beat when she began hurdling towards the ground slowly, afraid she'd fall and hurt herself, he reached out his free hand to catch her, and placed it on her back, leaving them in a much romantic position.

Fern giggled and laughed at Kai's attempted save, she loved teasing him. Her quiet laughter burst into his ears serenely, until finally he realized she had set that little stunt up in order to get him to join in with the dancing. Without warning, a smile slipped straight through his lips, placing a happy, soft grin on his pretty face before he even knew it.

For a few seconds, the pose remained, and the two began giggling an unrestful laughter, absorbing each other's presence and enjoying the light happy feeling that overwhelmed their minds.

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light_

_He's gotta be sure_

_And it's gotta be soon_

_And he's gotta be larger than life_

There it was. It had finally erupted from him, the light, the energy, that happy feeling and fun side had finally awoken from him, gleaming all around his body. He almost glowed, a bright, playful light, his motive attitude caressing his features in the dark room. He truly was the light of the room.

"Kai! You're smiling!" Fern laughed in joy, returning to her upright pose, but remained to clatch onto his shoulder, he himself still pressing his hand against her back.

Kai felt like mentally burring his face in the neck of his scarf, releasing his urge to hold it there until everyone from the room had vanished. As slowly as his laughter had came, it slowly faded. Wandering his eyes deeply in to Fern's, he let the emotional disturbance strip his face clean of any happiness, and returned to a cold, disgusted expression.

The song began to fade in the back of his mind, as his complicated state brought him elsewhere. He glanced around quickly, to find a few others dancing quite close-by. Did they... see him dancing?

A little afraid, Kai darted his eyes in every direction of the room, up and down, left and right, trying to spot his missing team mates, zipping from area to area paranoidal, afraid they may have seen to much. Seeing him dancing... and watching someone else take control of him.

_Up where the mountains meet the heavens above_

_Out where the lightning splits the sea_

_I would swear that there's someone somewhere_

_Watching me_

_Through the wind and the chill and the rain_

_And the storm and the flood_

_I can feel his approach_

_Like a fire in my blood_

The voice of the singer appeared back in to his mind, making him lose his chain of thought. His eyes raced back on to Fern, who raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled. "Come on, Kai, Dance like no one's watching!"

"I..-" Kai stuttered, resting his features over her face.

"You were doing great! Let's dance!" Fern chirped. She was fully aware that his once-enthusiastic face and smile had faded and was coming to a quick end, but she wasn't prepared to give up trying, not if she could help it. With that, she once again gripped onto his hand, and began to slowly walk with the beat in circles as the song came to a softer tune, gently weaving around the room, creating a serene atmosphere anyone could feel relaxed to.

Kai was dragged off with her, his eyes glowing like a red gemstone. Seconds back there, his heart was at resting rate during the quick pause, only for it to speed up again and thump so harshly, he could barely keep his legs in line with Fern's. A bridge of pink, modest flush smoothly rippled across his cheeks and nose. Until now, he had only just realized how truly embarrassing this was. He was a little flushed at first, but now his true colours shone. Literally. A bundle of red rosy blossoms leaked through his skin and only just noticeable enough for only Fern to see.

The red-haired teen swallowed her upcoming saliva, gulping it down quietly, noticing the blush of embarrassment on Kai's face. Was he really _that_ embarrassed?

Almost losing her stepping, a faint, unruffled patch of strawberry linked onto her cheeks. Seeing Kai blush made her want to return the favour, because he rarely did. She must have made an impression on him, or did something really, really unusual for the great Kai to start blushing. But, it there was nothing wrong seeing Kai like this.. it was unusual, but, kind of cute.

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong_

_And he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

She silently began to hum the lyrics, whispering under her breath. "I need a hero... I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of... _tonight_..."

Fern draped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer into a slow, yet jumpy dance. As his chest pressed against her body, she tingled with excitement. He felt so good. So good in fact, she didn't want to let go. He was so strong and powerful, like nobody she had ever met before.

Letting one hand slip from his sturdy shoulder, she began to skip backwards, slowly to collide with the beat, Kai uncomfortably being pulled in with her, avoiding stamping on her feet in the process. He bowed his head, watching her foot movement, as her feet pranced about all over the place. Kai tried hard to dodge touching them, and soon it began to look like he was attempting to dance himself, due to his careful footwork and focus.

She felt Kai's urgent tug at her hand, sending her forwards with the motion. She understood. The song was almost over, and this was his first time dancing. She decided to let it end here.

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light_

_He's gotta be sure_

_And it's gotta be soon_

Fern suddenly stopped in her tracks, slowly as the song began to end. Her green, glittering eyes casted into Kai's, his face ever so tired and still a wave of shock was clasping tightly in his iris. Her soft hand fell from the 16 year old's shoulder, and she stood staring at him in a polite manner. A tender smile rolled on her lips, her mouth widening in to a perfect grin, her teeth sparkling underneath the illuminating lights.

"Oh Kai..." She whispered softly, breathing in the warm breath Kai was releasing, inhaling every single bit of it. "Happy birthday. Thanks for the dance. I owe you one."

_And he's gotta be larger than life_

Stunned, the phoenix let her words strike his mind, breaking off chunks of hate and shallowness, caressing a softer expression to wash over his face along with the cascading colours charming up his already handsome features.

It was upsetting. A bundle of tears filled up her quivering eyes, her bottom lip shaking. 'Oh Kai... how could I ever ever betray you...'

Suddenly, a slight whiff of dough caught Kai's nose, dragging his face to turn to the side where his eyes almost failed with the sudden shock and brightness of what he saw.

Ray, Tyson, Max, Kenny, Hilary, Mariah, Lee, Gary, Kevin. They were all there, stood beside Ray, holding the most huge and most delicious cake he had ever saw. White icing dripped from the top of the cake, covering the dark sponge almost completely. Dipped inside the light fluffy cream which was sprayed on top, was pieces of dark chocolate, wrapped together to create a whole bundle of melted chocolate surfing the waves of the cream. The cake consisted of candles, preferably sixteen of them, circling the edge and center of the top of the cake, all lit in an old-fashioned way.

Tyson was literally drooling over the sight of the cake, licking his top lip and staying close-by to it so he could get a good sniff. Fern smiled as Kai watched in total surprise, yet he had a glimpse of amusement in his eyes.

It was until then Kai noticed Kenny was also holding something, which seemed like a big bag of merchandise, from as far as he could see anyway.

'See Kai? No matter what you think, your team does care for you. In fact, you have many people who care for you. All you need to do, is except that...' Fern nodded to herself, admittedly enjoying the whiff and look of the cake. She patted her pocket, taking this moment to make sure her present was ready to give to Kai. 'You'll be getting this later...'

"Happy birthday to you..." Tyson began singing.

Kai sweatdropped. 'Oh no, please, anything but this...'

Fern smirked and joined in with the rest of the group.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Kai,"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Tyson yelled in a high-pitched female tone, ending the song with a bit of umph.

Everyone laughed nervously at Tyson's efforts, including Kai who chuckled. Ray rested the cake on the wooden table, and looked back up at the staring Kai, holding out his hand to the cake, awaiting Kai's next step to blow out the candles.

Kai sighed. "This is stupid. Can't we just eat it?"

"Oh yeah! Let's EAT IT!" Tyson grinned excitedly. Everyone laughed.

"No, the tradition is, to blow out the candles and make a wish. Come one Kai, make it a good one!" Ray urged, smiling at the captain.

Kai remained still, dozens of eyes still set upon him. He sighed again suddenly, and moved further towards the cake. "I'm going to kill you all after this." He smirked.

Fern beamed. "Yes! That's the spirit! Now, make a wish!" Kai looked away from his team, and stared at the furiously flickering candles, brightly glowing a golden light. He looked reluctantly at the candles, haltingly deciding upon what his 'wish' would be. The reflection of the candles burned in his eyes, a slight, fiery glow heavenly flickering in his dark red eyes.

Patiently, everyone waited for Kai to blow out the candles, a slight tense and anxiety filling the suspenseful atmosphere of the room. Kai carefully placed his two palms on the table, and leant over further towards the cake.

With that, Kai blew his left-over energy over the flames, erasing them completely in all one go, keeping his wish deeply concentrated on in his mind. He stood back proudly, inhaling the smoke and fumes from the candles, as a loud cheer erupted from all around him, wild clapping and whistles singing in his ears.

"Alright, nice one Kai!" Tyson cheered. "Now we can eat it!"

"First, let's give him our pressies," Kenny smiled, holding out the bag of gifts to Kai, his face suddenly dropping and staring at the bag timidly.

"Oh...thanks..." Kai took the bag from Kenny's hand, and placed it on the table to look in later.

"Excuse the interruption," Lee began, all heads focusing on him. "But we really must go. We have to be up bright and early tomorrow."

Ray nodded. "That's okay. What's the occasion?"

"There's a public tour of the grand opening of the new stadium at Long Island tomorrow. Entrance is free. Why not come along?"

Tyson danced on the spot excitedly. "Oh yes! We'd be glad to!"

"Wait a sec, what about me?" Exclaimed Hilary.

"Well, you're coming with us, I suppose." Lee frowned. "Okay Tyson, but you'll have to make your own way there. We've already got tickets for the ferry at 9:00am tomorrow. If you're lucky, they might let you board it."

"Wait a sec, Mr Dickenson never mentioned we had to board a ship!" Tyson exclaimed.

"Uhhh... well, I don't know. All I know is that it's quicker on a ferry, but the bus would be just as good... but either way, it's at Manhattan Harbour, so don't be late! Once the tour starts, that's it, no one else is aloud in," Lee informed.

"Hmmm.. how come you guys weren't told?" Asked Fern, refereeing to the Bladebreakers.

Max shrugged. "Dunno. Publicity? We can ask Mr Dickenson all about it tomorrow."

"Anyway, thanks for inviting us, guys. And Kai, happy birthday man," Lee smiled slightly.

"Yeah, enjoy it while it lasts," Kevin murmured. Gary simply nodded at Kai, and quickly snatched the last sausage roll from the tray, then followed Lee and Kevin towards the door. Hilary smiled at Kai, wishing him a happy birthday through her face. She didn't need to say anything to express her gratitude, because, he already knew. The brunette pulled each blader a grin before she turned around and headed for the door, even Fern, who happily waved back.

"Well, I'll be cheering for you in the crowd, so listen out for me, okay?" Mariah smirked, looking around from over her shoulder, her long pony-tail flapping forward as she did.

Ray smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for coming." The pink Neko turned around and smiled through her delicate features, and began to slowly walk beside Hilary, soon disappearing from the room and carefully shutting the door politely after them.

There was a quick silence, each Bladebreaker still had their eyes glued on the door.

"...And they didn't even ask for cake! Can we cut it now?" Tyson begged, stretching his arms out above his head and letting out a big yawn.

Fern only just realized until now, Tyson was still wearing her clothes. She grinned at the thought, he seemed rather comfortable in them, and they didn't seem to bother him anymore either.

She laughed to herself, and joined her team mates as they crowed around the cake waiting for a slice to be handed to them.

After a wild night of dancing, eating, arguing and generally having fun, finally the partiers were put to rest, sleeping soundly in the most unusual positions. Tyson was sprawled out across the chair, although half of his body was actually hanging off- and a little drool slipped from his mouth, as he snored endlessly. Max was lying on the carpet, cuddling the long strands of the soft ground as his cute baby-features rested after a hard day's dancing. Kenny and Ray were laid on the other two sofas, both seeming to be able to keep their balance on the chairs, and avoid falling off, even in their sleep. Fern was curled up on Tyson and Kenny's bed, gripping a pillow gently in her arms.

A tall, broad figure stood over her, watching her as she slept. He softly stared at her, keeping a simple, yet soft expression over his face. He couldn't sleep. He had had the must wicked time, he found himself thinking. His first real party, his first _real_ dance. It was strange. To even think, him of all people, enjoyed himself tonight without a shallow of a doubt. Sure, he had his own way of having fun. Winning Beyblade battles. Being alone...

It was like he had found a new part of himself, a newly discovered part, that had been locked away, hiding all this time and hadn't awakened until now. Did he like this part of him? He wasn't so sure about anything anymore. He had changed. Even he knew that. The only thing he couldn't work out, was _why_.

Kai's mind was suddenly brought back in to reality, as a pair of green eyes flung open and darted straight on to him, the curled figure on the bed slowly rising from her back. He immediately looked away, and walked slowly away from the bed, trying to convince her and even himself that he hadn't watched over her for _that_ long.

"Kai?" A sweet voice rang through his ears. Not stopping himself, Kai spun around and faced her again, turning to a happy, grinning face. She glanced around the room, giggling at each sleeping blader. "Are these still asleep?"

Kai nodded. "Looks like it."

Her eyes brightened. "Excellent! I've got the perfect plan!"

The happy girl bounced off the bed, as Kai watched on skeptically, as she raced over to the fridge. She flung open the door, but quietly, and rummaged through it for a few seconds. Kai couldn't suppress his smirk, and before he knew it, he was smiling at her with wonder.'What's she up to now?'

Fern brought out a large tube of whipped cream, and began wildly shaking it in her hand. Still not understanding, Kai raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

She grinned even wider, more sneakily. "You'll see!" Quietly tip-toeing towards the sleeping Tyson, Fern shook the bottle even harder in her hand, as she stepped over Max's lying body. She hovered over Tyson, and lifted the lid from the bottle, still shaking it. His arm was sprawled just next to him, perfect for her little trick. She sprayed his hand with whipped cream, and licked the left-overs that had accidently been caught on her hand. Carefully, Fern began to tickle Tyson's face with her hand, patiently awaiting for him to flinch and-

_SPLAT!_

She got him.

Tyson's face was dripping with cloudy whipped cream from his own hand. Fern giggled quietly. He didn't wake, in fact, she was sure she saw his tongue reach for the cream around his face and take a good lick of it. 'Hehe, he's even mad about food when he's sleeping!'

She glanced back around at Kai, who was watching amusingly. "Never let sleeping Tysons lie."

Kai snickered. Yeah, that was true.

Fern glanced around evilly at each blader, picking out her next victim. The innocent little blonde sleeping like a little rodent on the floor caught her attention. She giggled sneakily, and ran to the kitchen sink. She grabbed a bowl from the side, and began to run the tap low, mixing cold and hot water together to create a nice, fresh, warm swirl of water. She carried the bowl over to Max, and leant down beside him. She placed the bowl on the floor, grabbed his hand lightly, and carefully dipped his hand in to the warm water, suppressing her urge to laugh out loud.

"Now, let's see how he'll cope with a good old wetting of the underwear..." Fern laughed. "Oh wait; I forgot.. he _isn't_ wearing underwear!"

She smiled at Kai, he returned her a soft gesture, nothing more or nothing less than a smile. Slowly darting her eyes around the room, they slowly casted on the closed curtains. The moon was shining outside, expressing it's powerful night light beam through the sharp curtains, holding together a strong, white light which reflected off every wall in the room, and even brightened it up a little.

'A full moon...' Fern listened hard to the silence caressing outside, it seemed to peaceful, quiet, romantic...

Glancing back at Kai, he was still looking at her like she was weird, but seemed fairly amused. Holding nothing back, she ran straight up to him, and grabbed ahold of his hand, and felt his hand flinch at the sudden action.

"Hn. What?" He asked worriedly. She dragged him to the hotel door, and opened it with her free hand. His eyes widened. 'What is she doing?'

"Come on, Kai!" She urged, and giving him no question, she controlled his movement and ran through the door, leaving a group of clueless bladers, and taking one with her.

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**ANJ/Dies/ That took me ages to write! But it was worth it. /Giggles/**

**Kai: Please click that blue little Review button and take one second of your time to review. And I might consider dancing with you too.**

**Tyson: OMG THAT RYHMES!**

**¬.¬U**


	17. One Starry Night

**ANJ: Yay/Huggles everyone/ OMG I got the most reviews ever! Thanks soooo much! I'm glad you liked it! And sorry the update took so long... been busy with school and stuff... because I'm onto my last year! YAY! (So next update will be... hopefully before the end of the summer holidays.) Speaking of summer holidays... IT'S SUMMER! I hope everyone has a good summer... it's looking up so far. Hopefully the sun will continue to shine! I fancy a swim in the sea... /scratches head/**

**And, thanks for the review Isabel. :) I'm glad you like it so much. I'm so happy people are starting to read the story from this point even though there is a lot to read. I thank you again. And of course you can dance with Kai! I mean, who wouldn't? XD. Big hug for you too. /Hugs./**

**Fern: WHOO HOO!**

**ANJ: Now, time for 17/waves wand/ Abracadabra! WHOOSH! Oh look, there it is! I think I'll need a bit of magic for this chapter to work... /grins nervously/.**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 17- One Starry Night**

Running through the winter-night sky, being hollowed in great light exploding from the tremendous moon which flowed endlessly through the many galaxies, she didn't stop. The calm evanescence of the sea filled their ears, the boasting waters gently rising in a creative form. Exploring his surroundings, Kai let his crimson eyes deepen into a world of down-town lighting and black starry skies, listening to the soft waves of the sea drift to and for on the beach, from the path which seemed to absorb the sound of their cluttering boots on the smooth cobble.

It only just crossed his mind, his ever so complicated mind. The surprise had just sunk in, now all the question came flooding unexpectedly in his head. _Where_ was she taking him? _Why_ was she taking him there? Did it matter... as long as he could enjoy the rest of the evening? Now that was an interesting question.

Hand in hand, tongues in cheek, the inseparable pair continued to run, past the city lights, past the closed shops, past the sky-scrapers, past the city presence, until Fern's almost final location was revealed in a flash of a street corner. The two stopped in their tracks. Far, far away, the sea was being devoured by the vicious raven sky, the only escaping dark blue waves hitting off the dark yellow beach on order to free itself from being swallowed in to darkness. If there was some sea to spare, to let the scenery take it's toll, it was worth the fight in rolling out onto the beach and covering the thin, tiny pebbles with white spray and fishy smells that sent Fern thinking of fish and chips. Boy, could she do with a bag of those right now.

The sudden pause of the two teenagers soon came to the past, as the red rouge started up again and dragged his hand onto the soft beach, attempting to run faster in the mushy, wet crumbled rock. Eventually, in the glowing distance, they appeared. The same hills they had trained on, the same hills Fern seemed to have took a genuine shine to. Kai knew, there was something more. Why those hills? There had to be about a million in Manhattan, well not far from that number anyway. Was it because it was the Bladebreaker's main training spot? Was it because of that little area Fern seemed so attached to?

Without answers, without knowing, he guessed that he wasn't _supposed_ to know. He would have figured it out by now, he usually did in these type of situations. The fact that he was totally unaware of the reason Fern's strange appeal to these hills existed, until now, it just hit him that some things, probably would be better left without knowing. He would have known by now if he was meant to know. He suddenly shook his head, feeling a little exasperated at his thoughts. By the way he thought about it, he almost sounded as if he was talking about fate. He didn't believe in all that garbage.

He was so crossed in his own thoughts, until now he finally realized Fern had stopped running; therefor leading him to stop as she was the one making him run in the first place. He looked across at her shaded face. She was staring attentively at what lied in front of her. Curious, Kai turned his head to look in the direction she stared at, to find they were already stood before the hills.

Fern turned to Kai, detecting her staring, Kai glanced across at her, to see her smiling at him with open, wide eyes. _Wow._ Her eyes. They stunned him from the moment he had met her. But tonight... they looked even more beautiful than they ever had before. And that wasn't just because she was exposed to the moonlight. That natural sparkle, the red twinkle appeared in her iris, slowly spreading around the rest of her middle colour. The green had shaded, almost unnoticeable. It made him wonder. Was she like one of those rings, that change colour whatever mood you are in? Red for anger, green for envy?

No. She couldn't be angry. Not with a charming smile like her's. She rarely ever got angry. Another quality Kai felt so attracted to. It was like a magnet held him tightly to her side, attracting to every movement and wanting to stay there. Perhaps for a long time? Perhaps forever...

But, magnets always lose their touch. Right now he could unattach from her hand without prevail, but to his surprise, he found that she had already let go. He rubbed his temple, truly confused. He had never felt so different. Even before he supposed he could be described as an outcast, but recently his mind felt so outcasted from his soul. This wasn't like him.

Her smiled widened. "Let's climb it." With that, she leant over and grabbed on to the sharp pieces of cold grass, and began climbing up the hill doggy-style, leaving Kai to make his own decision whether he was going to follow her or not. She had a hunch though, that he would out of curiosity. She heard him sigh heavily, and detected a broad presence behind her follow her trail of path. She smirked.

Ascending into the darkness of the night, a gentle, cold wind hit her in the face, as she reached the top of the hill and continued to crawl, until she reached a safe place away from the edge to rest. Glancing up, she wandered her eyes into the black star-lit sky, enjoying the warm moonlight crawl over her features and enlighten her face in a deep shade of white, with a tiny tint of red from the perfect, round moon. It felt great. She spun her head around to see Kai had managed to reach the top easily, and he even walked up to her and sat down beside her with a soft thump.

"Well?" Kai asked freely, tucking his legs into a crossed position, as he stared into her eyes. They gently caressed over him, until she rested her back onto the cold grass and turned her eyes away from him gently, not even flinching once despite the chill she felt. She stared into the sky, still with that cheeky smile on her face. He felt confused. Well? Wasn't she going to reply? 'Maybe that was her reply...?'

Kai casted his eyes up into the heavens above, the sudden bright light of the moon shone into his dark mahogany eyes, making him squeeze them shut. He had to admit, he had never seen the sky look as relaxing, as peaceful, as pretty as this. A charming wind blew gently, his hair waving and dancing about, and his scarf blew behind him as he stared up into the dark night sky. Millions and millions of cute yellow and white stars spread above their heads, twitching and shining in a perfect rotation. It was almost as if, the stars were watching over them, guarding them from the dreaded dark night.

Glancing back at Fern, she still had her eyes completely fixed on the stars, her arms stretched behind her head and her legs laid straight across the grass. He shrugged, and moved opposite her head, and laid his back into the grass, the top of his head almost touching her's. He could have laid next to her, but it seemed more efficient to lay almost back-to-back with her.

For more than a few seconds, the two continued to stare into the black heaven, the sea gently washing over in the back of their minds, and the constant sound of crickets rattled the starry air, in their own way of saying tonight _was_ perfect. A strange, peaceful glow hit Kai hard, reducing his intensity and relieved him from any worry or strain. It was nice, glimpses of the city lights radiating faintly in the background, a swift wind, a sky full of magic. He began to relax and lifted one leg up slightly, and rested his arms behind his head.

"Aren't they great?" Fern whispered, as the wind blew over their concentrated faces, washing them clean of any tension.

Kai raised an eyebrow. "What? What are great?" Fern remained silent; for a few seconds, she simply smiled and continued to stare into the great, radiated sky. He heard her sigh, before opening her mouth to speak again.

"The stars, of course. They're just...great." She smiled, with slight humour in her tone.

'They're just great? Why? What makes the stars so great?' Kai asked himself.

The stars did seem brighter than usual tonight. In fact... scarily bright. They almost looked bigger, brighter and even alive. The thought of the stars being 'alive' made Kai snicker to himself. 'Stars? Alive? Yeah right.'

"They watch over me," Fern announced suddenly, but so softly Kai could hardly hear her. The phoenix blinked twice at her words.

"Yeah, well, they are above us you know," He replied coldly, beginning to think that this girl was crazy. Not that he didn't already think that, but stars watching over her? It would have made more sense if she said something like the angels were watching over her, which would still be weird.

Fern giggled. "I know, you don't understand. You see that huge yellowy-green star right there?" Asked Fern, pointing. "Well, that there is Aquila. He's the eagle bit-beast. And you see that red star? That's Tien-Long, the heaven dragon."

Kai listened as she spoke, unsure of what to think. Heaven dragon? Bit-beast? He listened to her pacing voice, gliding through his ears like he wanted to listen, like he wanted to believe every word she said. But it seemed too unusual. Unreal, in fact.

"And the yellow star, right in between them two, is Trinity, the holy spirit. I don't even know what she is. She's a shape-shifter, she changes into anything she wants, when she wants, when the time is right."

A quick silence passed by, she could feel Kai's confusion almost as if those feelings were her's. She giggled. It was kind of funny. He would never understand what she was talking about, and she knew he didn't want to believe her. But he did, and she could feel it. She didn't know how, but something hit her; the sign of trust. He trusted her words. He believed them.

"Hn," Was all Kai could think of saying. What did she expect him to say? He had never heard anything like that before. Exactly who were these bit-beasts?

"I told you before, Kai. They watch over me. They look after me, when I'm down. They protect me. Whenever they are around, whenever I see those stars... I think to myself; Yes. This night is perfect. And you want to know why? Because anything could happen, but nothing bad of course. And there's no way of fighting it. It's just the way it is." She tilted her head upwards, and glanced over at Kai. His eyes were flashing with extreme confusion, yet a gentle, serene expression was lingering over his face, trying to leave him.

He remained silent. Fern turned her head back towards the stars, leaving Kai to work it out for himself. She had almost exposed her secret. Something she was avoiding for the time being. There was far more to it than just simply being able to communicate with the bit-beasts. It was destroying her, mentally. It was a fantastic gift, something any kid would want. But, the trouble it caused.

'Mistress Fern, don't think about it. You don't want your night spoilt, do you?' Werex entered Fern's mind, trying to sooth her thoughts.

'Werex, sometimes I wish I couldn't talk to other bit-beasts. And you know why...' Fern sighed.

'I know, Black Pele is a threat.'

'It's more than a threat. Black Pele can use my mind as an advantage... find out the secrets of the bit-beasts... it could put them in serious danger. She could eliminate them through me. Send every bit-beast to the firey flames of hell. She is the goddess of fire after all, right? They would Disappear from bit-chips and sent straight in to the hands of the twisted sicko who's ordering the Blade Warriors to do this. If she controls my mind and makes me do that.. I don't know what I'd do. How can I fight it? That's how powerful Black Pele is. Only I know. I've experienced her power. It's amazing. Because she can control humans, she can make them do whatever she wants. And my gift.. will be used for evil. Oh, Werex, what do I do?'

'You have me, Aquila, Tien-Long and Trinitity, and all of the other bit-beasts. As long as we're here, NOTHING will happen to you!'

Fern nodded. 'Right. Thank you. But I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about you.' She smiled softy, as Werex left her mind. Maybe things were going to be okay after all. All of those times, she had the urge to take away Kai's Dranzer, or Ray's Driger, a part of her told her not to. That part was her inner instincts, and of course, Werex and the other bit-beasts. But for how long could they hold it... she hated the thought of fighting it alone...

"I've got a question," Kai broke Fern's thoughts, to her complete surprise. "You said, you travel everywhere and watch tournaments. And if you miss your team as much as you say you do, why don't you just go visit them?"

"..." Fern felt a thrust of cold blood run through her veins, her heart picked up a great speed, making her body tingle with sudden coldness and guilt. The question seemed simple enough, but suddenly her voice was cut off from him. She didn't expect the question so soon, but she knew it would come eventually. She just wasn't prepared for it.

A cold silence remained, Kai began to get the feeling there was something she wasn't telling him about her team. 'Or maybe she's just thinking.'

"...Because I'm scared, okay? I'm a coward," Fern stated, Kai immediately jolting up into a sitting-position. He pulled a soft frown.

"You're scared?" He asked, wandering his eyes down her sad face, circling them down her frail body, his eyes caught her chest puffing out a little, her breaths were becoming more heavy; more fragile by the minute. His eyes set on her face once again, in pure interest. She nodded.

"It's been 3 years, Kai. That's long enough for anybody to forget one's face, how do I even know they will remember me? How do I know I'll recognize them? I can't bare the thought having to stand in front of my three best friends who I left, for some stupid guy my mum wanted and who I didn't even like, and tell them it's me. Fern Ryuki, coming back to say hi and reunite and be a happy team again," She cried, sarcasm and frustration in her voice. "No. They won't have it. I wouldn't blame them if they couldn't forgive me. Well, I forgive them if they can't forgive me. I understand. How would it feel, eh? After 3 years, I turn up out of the blue and expect open arms? It just doesn't work that way. The guilt is too much."

"It would feel like betrayal. Don't make the mistake and think I haven't been through something familiar. It happens to most of us," Kai replied, laying back down in to the grass again, and faced the cold, black sky. Staring at it for so long was as if you were being swallowed in a black hole, it made him kind of dizzy.

Fern let her hand slip on to the grass. "Kai? You have?" She felt Kai's head nod off her's, as he began to speak again.

"Yeah. I betrayed my team once. But they forgave me. What's the chance that your team will forgive you? Besides, I would hardly call your experience a 'betrayal'. More like a mistake," Kai explained, attempting to try and cheer her up.

"What? You've betrayed your team, Kai?" Fern asked, surprised.

"...Just forget it," Kai sighed. He didn't want to go in to details. He was aware, that even he sometimes felt guilty about what happened in his past. He hated talking about it, he didn't even like to think about it. He had only mentioned it to Fern to make her feel better, to share his down-falls, instead of her having to think about her own. It seemed she wasn't so familiar with betrayal; he could see it had hit her hard, and it still haunts her to this very day. That's why he liked her. He felt he could trust her. She knew what it was like to betray someone, expect she seemed so worked up about it. He knew she would never do it again, if she did find her team. Or, if she was to join the Bladebreakers?

Fern nodded. She knew the feeling of betrayal felt hard, even if her past wasn't betrayal. Just a mistake, like Kai said. Maybe he was right. She understood if he didn't want to talk about it. Instead, she continued to enjoy the soft, but chilly wind, and the raise of the moonlight flooding over her sprawled body in a deep, richening wave. She smirked suddenly, remembering what they were talking about before her past had mysteriously popped up.

"You wanna know something else? About the stars? About the moon?" Fern whispered softly.

Kai raised an eyebrow. There was more? "What?"

"Werex was born from the moon. She came to me when the Black Stars were formed. Zack taught me everything he knew, and Raine and Taro too. Then, one night, when it was a full moon, Werex came to me. She is a werewolf after all, they take a shine to the moon, huh?"

Kai blinked. She was just full of surprises. "Oh."

Fern giggled. She found him so cute when he was confused. He'd act totally unaware, yet he'd show no interest even though he was thinking about it. "I think about my team all the time, you know? I remember the little girly chats I would have with Raine, which of course, I can't repeat," Fern laughed. Kai listened, amused by her words. He was interested in hearing what her old team was like, how good they were at blading, and who they were. Like an adult conversation. Something he couldn't have with the Bladebreakers often.

"I understand," He smiled, referring to the 'girly' chats she had with one of her ex-team mates.

"And Taro, well, he was a right prankster. He taught me lots of neat tricks, and we used to pull them off on Raine and Zack. Hehe, and I even tried them out on Tyson and Max! There's plenty more I've got in store for Ray and Kenny... and YOU Kai!"

Kai eye's narrowed. "Yeah right."

Fern laughed. "Anyway, Taro was great. He was just like a little brother. And Zack, boy, what can I say about him? He was awesome. My old village is called Asahidake Onsen, it was so beautiful. It was surrounded by triangle trees and a river and the typical Japanese architecture. Every night me and Zack used to have little walks down by the river, and we used to sit and talk for ages. I was only about 12, so we were very childish of course. Every summer we used to take a dip in the river and catch fish with our hands. I can still remember how it felt.. the water dripping between by fingers... even now.. I remember the feel of the fresh fish and the shining sun and the presence of my team..." Her voice faded into a sad tone, and Kai detected it straight away. "Anyway... enough about that... tell me about what you have got up to with the Bladebreakers. I'm interested."

"Alright," Kai agreed. Fern's face brightened. She moved her kneecap and faced it up into the open sky, getting comfortable for a couple of hopeful stories. Kai stayed quiet for a few seconds, his lips curved in to a frown, his eyes stretched into a happy motion. Where to begin? "We got off to a bad start," He began. "I didn't like them much. They were childish, and stupid. They weren't serious enough to be on my team."

Fern crossed her eyes jokily. Some memory. She was actually talking about happy times...

"It was alright. We spent most of our time together. But I kept my distance. If I got too close to them I was afraid I'd actually like them. When they were pissing about and joking around, I'd just stand there, listening, thinking what idiots they were. But I must admit, when we were training, it was okay. It felt good. I'd never had a proper friend before. I guess I can say Ray was my first. Yet I didn't need friends. All I needed was Dranzer. They would always tell me to join in or talk to them or aggravate me. They don't understand that it's just the way I am. I don't like company."

By the time Kai had finished, Fern's green eyes were as wide as the smile on her face. Where had all of that come from? She had never heard him talk so much, never mind talk about his team mates in such a way. It left her very amused, yet she felt for him that he was always in the distance. "Then... if you don't like company... what am I?"

Kai bit his bottom lip. He couldn't believe he was admitting this, nor could he believe it was to someone he hardly knew. "You are company. You're... the only person I can really talk to about things... like this."

Neither could Fern. Dare she tell him she was shocked about his openness? It seemed so weird. This was so unlike Kai. When did he ever admit things like this? When did he ever tell them to her? Why her?

"Oh Tiger!" Fern giggled lightly, gently hitting the top of Kai's head jokily.

A shiver ran down his spine. He was being totally serious yet she once again made it into a joke! _Tiger._ That nickname was beginning to annoy him. Why Tiger, anyway? Why not lion, or dog, or hamster?

"Why do you call me tiger?" He asked, out of curiosity. She smiled.

"Your blue painty triangle thingys kinda look like tiger stripes," Fern sang. "Also..." She hesitated, and sat up on her backside, placing her hands behind her to rest on the grass. She stared down at him, pulling him a cheesy grin. Kai looked at her worriedly, questioning himself about her weird smile.

"Yes?" He asked, becoming nervous by her scary grin. Fern's hair dangled down and almost touched his lips annoyingly, so he began breathing lightly and tried to blow it away with his breath.

"...In battle, you're wild, fierce and ready for action! And I like it!"

Kai cringed. "What?"

Fern giggled and began to sweat nervously. "Heh heh, well you wanted to know how you gained your nickname, did you not?"

"If I had known that was the answer, I wouldn't of bothered asking," Kai told her, pulling himself a skeptical look. She smiled and jokily nudged the back of Kai's head with her hand, listening to the rustle of his hair lift into the wind and glide through her fingertips. He shivered at the light feel of her hands touching his hair, enjoying the gesture thoroughly. When she stopped and pulled her hand back behind her head, an unpleasant change swept through him like a dying moment which he wished would carry on. For the few seconds his body had lit up and became almost immediately used and warmed up to the feeling, was a short moment he longed for more. Her touch, it was so soft, so gentle, he could hardly feel it. But it was there, a refreshing and dazzling touch that sent every dark cloud in Kai's body into a flash of lightening.

"Oh.." Fern suddenly remembered something very important, and fished into her black trouser pocket. Kai tried to glance down to see what she was doing, but had no success due to the fact he couldn't see any further than her head, because he was laid down. He could see and feel her red hair being whipped against his, as she brought something out from her pocket. Curious, Kai sat up on his backside, and twisted around his head, to find Fern still with her back laid firmly on the ground, and holding something cupped in her palms. "Here. This is for you."

The red head opened her palms, and handed Kai the gift she had bought him. Kai's eyes rose and enlarged at what he saw; a sparkling, rose-red fire bird eased the dark light, the sharp raise of the moon soaked in the red twinkle, and reflected the beam onto the grass, creating a red patch of supreme light, matching Kai's dark red eyes. She felt her arm weaken, her arm muscles began to pull and needed to be put to rest. "Kai, take it." She begged.

He shook his head to himself, trying to get around this. 'Why would she buy me something? I have never bought her anything. Do I even deserve it?'

"Kai!" Fern cried again, this time catching Kai's attention. "Take it! I bought it for you, as a birthday present, okay? So you have to take it." Kai sighed, and took the bird from Fern's hand, gently cupping it close against his body. He stared at it, running his finger gently along the smooth wings, and held the beak between his two fingertips. She looked up at him, and smiled at him as he petted the bird. "You like it? You attach it to your belt."

"Yeah... thanks..." Kai said almost silently, pulling a wry face, and slipped the bird into his baggy trouser pocket. Fern smiled softly to herself, and turned her head back upwards. Kai pulled a soft glare at her. Why did she always smile like that? Like she had just had another victory. Not so much smug, but slightly over-confident. It made him wonder what was on her mind. Did she always think about victory? Or was she just confident? If only he could read minds, he'd use it as an advantage. Perhaps to steal ideas, or beyblade data, or... 'Just to find out what she's thinking about.' Kai smiled suddenly, and took a quick look up into the sky. Those stars were still there. Aquila, Tien-Long and Trinity. He was even surprised he actually remembered their names. Funny, just staring at them made Kai feel dizzy. For one slight second, he considered they _were_ watching over them. That Fern was telling the truth... and she wasn't a total weirdo... just like that Luna they had met earlier.

He shook his head to himself once more, trying to pull himself together. The atmosphere was too peaceful to be thinking. He just felt like relaxing under the stars. Kai looked back down at Fern, his back still facing her head. He maneuvered beside her, shifting his hands among the grass and moving his backside with him, until he was exactly next to her instead of behind her. He continued to sit there, with his two arms stretched behind of him.

"I love the stars," Fern smiled, now knowing Kai was sat next to her. She glanced up at him from the corner of her eye, still with her head firmly on the ground.

"...Why?" Kai asked, moving his head further up in to the sky, becoming in contact with the stars just as she started talking about them. How ironic.

"Well... they just hang up there, watching over us and winking at us whenever we feel lonely or sad. In my eyes, they protect me, make me feel special and safe. They drag me out of my crazy world and refresh me with comfort. Their shine doesn't stop. From the dullest of days, or whenever I feel down, they are always up there, shining, as if nothing could stand in their way. That's why I love them... Because they share the love for this beautiful planet as if it was their own."

Silence remained.

"But... they're only stars.." Kai pointed out, still glancing above him.

"Maybe to you. But to me, they're something else, Kai. I see everything and everyone differently." Fern blinked and continued to smile.

Kai stared down at her with curiosity in his face and mind. She went so far in to things, until now, he didn't even think of stars that way. She sure was wise."...You do?"

"Yes. Everyone's different. Even if someone looks the same, has the same features, personality... they all have a different spirit, a different heart. Like love. Even if they do look the same, their heart is taken by a different person."

"...," Kai was almost speechless, or rather, he was. Why did she see the world so differently? 'She must have spent hours thinking of this stuff up...'

Fern shook her head a little. "Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

He blinked repeatedly. Rambling? That was just rambling? It almost seemed revised, remembered, as if she had said all of this before. Or maybe, she was just good with her words. Almost forgetting to answer Fern back, he quickly suppressed his over-taking thoughts. "...A little... I MEAN no, no it's fine."

Fern shifted her arm out from behind her head, and brought it to her side to gently place it on the grass; until her hand collided with something, something cold, energizing and... it felt like skin. She jerked and quickly unplaced her hand, along with the slightly unamused, yet shocked Kai who quickly brushed his hand away from her's and stretched his arm out further to prevent anything like that happening again. Fern didn't blush, she just felt a little embarrassed. Now, that _was_ an accident, and unintended, if need be.

"So..." She had no idea where this was coming from, or why she was asking _him_, but she just felt like it was right. "Is your heart bleeding for anyone, Kai?"

Crickets could be heard ironically loudly, when a silence settled as soon as it disappeared. Kai blinked at the question. "What?"

"You know... have you ever been in love? Or are you... in love?" Fern swallowed hard, trying to make the words as less shaky as possible, as they just came sliding out. She had felt them wanting to escape her breath all night, just she couldn't find the right time for it. It seemed almost like the perfect time, now though...

Kai's heart melted. No one had ever asked him such a thing, never mind being asked it from... a girl's point of view. He had no idea how girl's think, so he was very wary of how he acted around this what-seemed-like a simple question. Only, after a few seconds, he remained quiet, struggling as to what his answer would be. Now it seemed difficult, although he knew what his answer was. "Hn. No. Love is just another pointless form of emotion which tears your heart apart. Who wants their heart to be torn apart, anyway?"

"Hmm... and how do you know it tears your heart apart?" Fern asked, smiling under the dark sky.

"I haven't felt it, if that's what you mean," Kai said, almost so softly, she was sure she caught a hint of bluffing in his tone. He suddenly seemed to sad, perhaps like he was hiding something so big that he couldn't use his usual dark tone to let out his words. He had to use his lighter, softer tone instead.

"Oh, okay," Fern said, shrugging at his words. She couldn't help feel a little disappointed. She liked to hear about people's love stories, how they met, how they fell in love. She should have guessed Kai wouldn't have any.. despite his good looks.. and that incredible charm of his. 'Ah!' She erased that thought completely, embarrassed. Kai probably wouldn't think of her that way, so why should she think of him that way? 'Maybe he does need a girlfriend. A girl that would bring out his true colours and let that tiny light shine like super nova. Like tonight, when he danced with me.. it was almost as if that fun side to him was unlocked.. by.. me...?'

A thought, more like a scary conclusion hit her mind. He was so open to her, yet wasn't so with his team mates. She was enough to make him shine, to make him smile and laugh. Fern felt so big-headed thinking it, but what if he had a crush on her? And that love letter would explain a lot. The only thing was, thinking of Kai, made her think about Black Pele, and what would happen if the outcome was to be betrayal. She hated herself for not resisting the blade, afraid she'd lose the Bladebreakers, as friends. A terrible feeling, lingered inside her body. A muscle was constantly pulling in her stomach, as soon as Black Pele came to her mind. Something bad was going to happen. She could feel it as if it had already happened.

And, what Luna had said earlier...

_"You are strong at heart, my dear. But, you will need to be healed at some point in your life by the one and only. Never fear, if the said person manages to find their heart and forgive, your life as well as many others will be saved from an evil force."_

It all fit. Something bad was going to happen to her. But... she will only be rescued if someone finds their heart to forgive her... "Kai?"

Kai looked down at her, skeptically, as her face was embraced with shock and anger, the red tint in her eyes was flashing furiously. Fern looked up at Kai, almost holding her breath in surprise.

'OH... I must have said 'Kai' out loud... Oops...' Fern blushed slightly as she stared in to Kai's eyes, settling down a little now. It looked as if Kai was waiting for her to say something, after all, she had called his name.

"If I fall... will you catch me?"

"What?" As well as himself, even she couldn't believe what had just came out of her mouth.

Her eyes widened, struggling to come to terms to what she had just asked Kai. Nothing had stopped her from saying it, and that's what she was so confused about. "Kai? If I'm ever in trouble, would you come and save me? In fact- no! Promise me you'll be my hero!" She pulled herself a wide-eyed expression. Her words got weirder by the second, and there was nothing to hold her back. She didn't _want_ to hold back, she felt like this was her only chance to talk about things like this. Now that she thought about it, she had never had a hero before. Not a proper one anyway, besides the bit-beasts. She wanted a human protector. And Kai was the only human who could do it.

Kai blinked twice. He was speechless. "Uh... I.."

"Oh, please Kai! Promise me!" Finally getting in to it, Fern accepted this is what she wanted to say. She couldn't hide it any longer.

Kai didn't know what to think, or say. What was on her mind? He had never been asked to be a 'hero' before, let alone by a girl. There was no way he was going to accept this, just no way. He was Kai Hiwatari! The cold and heartless loner! If he was going to protect anything, it was going to be his reputation. At least, he couldn't bring himself to say 'no' directly. He didn't have the heart. He needed something clever. "If I decline... would you forgive me?"

"No." Fern announced, glancing up at Kai.

Kai looked down at her softly. "Why?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Why won't you promise me?" She asked, a little more serious this time.

"Hmmm... is someone after you..?" She seemed so determined to get him to promise her. There was one explanation Kai could think of though. Maybe someone was stalking her, and she needed the extra protection? It would of been a lot easier by just telling him this, though.

Her green eyes shot open wider. "What! No! Of course not!" Even she had to admit, that statement was a lie. It did seem like the Blade Warriors were after her. It seemed a certain feeling had just became stronger in her mind. Fear. The fear of the Blade Warriors actually being on the look-out for her, watching her every move... even now, they could be watching her and Kai. Perhaps she did need a little more physical protection. The idea of Kai being her hero was probably a good idea... because to her, it would be an honor to have Kai looking out for her. She felt she sometimes looked up to him, for his power, for his greatness, and deep down, he did have a bloody heart!

"Then why will you fall?" He asked, breaking her chain of thought.

"I said 'IF'. My statement could mean different things too," Fern answered, smiling up at him. She raised her two arms in the air and gave them a good stretch, before returning them behind her head again.

"Such as?" He asked, eyebrow raised, and holding one leg up so his knee pointed to the sky.

"Well... that's the fun of it, isn't it? We don't know what's coming our way! I could trip over in the street, and you could catch me. I could fall off a cliff, and you catch me...or..." She hesitated, as the unexpected unexpectedly sprang to her mind.

Kai noticed her hesitation. Another shot of red beamed through her green orbs, the white moonlight spreading down her body, cleaning the darkness. He continued to stare at her face, he couldn't help but run his eyes down her lying body, and examining her shape and hair. She didn't seem so relaxed as she usually was. She wore a nervous smile, and her legs looked fidgety. He couldn't help but notice these things.

Werex laughed at Fern's hesitation. She knew clearly what Fern had thought of, and it had her struck like lightening. "In love?"

Fern's face screwed up. Ouch. That hit the spot hard. Werex detected exactly Fern's infuriating thought, an unknown one which had pushed itself to the front of her mind. 'In love? No way... that's going a little too far... WEREX! STOPPIT! You're putting ideas in my head!'

Werex laughed again. 'No Miss Ryuki, it is you putting ideas in to your own head.' Fern turned away from Kai's handsome face, before the blush could be seen by him. She laid her cheek on the grass, opposite from Kai. She sadly lay there, not moving an inch. Kai raised his chin a little, wondering why she suddenly stopped her sentence. A brief wind made Kai squint his eyes, enough to make his scarf blow gently swiftly behind him, rustling his blue hair lightly as he continued to stare at her. Something about her expression struck him; she looked so sad, upset. It made him wonder if she was upset because he had turned her little, fun request down. He thought it was silly anyway. Girls her age don't have heroes. Only 5 year olds dream of having a hero or a prince charming one day to come down and rescue them. But a teenager? A girl who was almost 16? It seemed like a weird idea, but something else told him it was... good to be weird. He knew at times she could be weird, and tonight, she proved that alright.

He stared at her intently, coming around to the idea of saying yes... it didn't take much, and what was the worse to happen? After the American tournament, he doubted he would ever see her again. Without realizing it, he was thinking about giving it a go. Just to see what it would be like. To make the most of what was left of their friendship together. He couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. Or, how beautiful she was. The thought scared him, almost enough to send his shivering hand away from her, as he stretched his arm towards her face. His feelings were all over the place, a constant rattle and merge of indepth emotions began to run through his body, attacking his organs, mainly his heart.

Feeling something gentle touch her face, Fern shot her eyes open to find Kai's palm was rested gently on the side of her cheek. Totally shocked and almost unaware of what had just happened, she casted her eyes upwards, to find a gentle face watching over her with two, sparkling dark red eyes. His pale face nuzzled her eyes, the moonlight washed over one side of his face in to a bright, white shadow, while the rest was darkened by the natural beauty of the sky. It was a real treat for her eyes. She couldn't describe the pleasure and thrill she was feeling right now, along with a great unexpected shock, too. "Hey... I promise..." He whispered.

She smiled. Her heart melted in to tiny droplets, each one with a total new emotion and feeling. He moved his hand away from her face, trying to not let it go too far. His mind was like an ocean, waves of shock, anger, lust and affection overloaded through his mind, decreasing his anger, his ignorant side to him and opening a new, fresh set of feelings he hadn't ever felt before. He didn't know what to do with them, or how to feel about them. He was inexperienced to this part of him.

It wasn't what he anticipated, but Fern began to move upwards slightly towards him. As much as she was shocked, she couldn't hold back. He was too much to resist, he was too charming to leave alone. She suddenly felt like she wanted him, and by what he had just did, it would seem like he wanted her, too. He had no idea what was happening, neither did she, but it was something both of them went along with. She slowly rested her arms on to the patch of grass behind her, and lifted her head towards his. She was right there, being held out to him on a plate. Somewhere, inside of him, that lonely feeling, told him to back off, but he felt something else, something sentimental had took over and introduced something greater. Her eyes were getting closer, the beauty of them stupefied him. Still clueless, he casted his eyes down towards her lips, and gently closed his eyes as he felt the most wonderful feeling shoot through his body, as something so soft and tender brushed along his bottom lip.

She tried to embrace the kiss in to something more, and wrapped one of her arms around him, holding the back of his shoulders and pulling him towards her for more. He rested his hand over her body, and placed it on to the grass beside her, not even noticing he was doing such a thing. His eyes suddenly flung open, sweaty and paranoid, he let loose of her grip and almost violently pulled away from her, taking his arm back and keeping it to himself. Fern stared at him, confused. His faced seemed so full of anger, and unenthusiastic senses that reflected deep within the darkness. He stared at her hatefully, lowering his eyebrows in to a sharp glare, taking in the last whiff of her flowery scent that seemed to stick to her.

The glare hurt her so much; a terrifying, enmity glare that brought her to sulk a little, and eventually bringing deep tears to her eyes. Kai got up hurriedly, she followed his face as it rose in to the sky above her, and with that, he turned around and began to walk off, leaving her alone, sat in the cold winter grass without even a goodbye. Her crying eyes hurtfully stared at Kai, as he walked off in to what seemed like his own world. His scarf blew swiftly behind him, his hair danced with the beat of his movements, until eventually he couldn't be seen and had already made it over the top of the hill.

Her eyes circled the hill quickly, so confused, so messed up, unsure of what to do. She couldn't come around to what had really happened; lacking her usual alert gaze, an unclear face set upon her for the rest of her lonely night.

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**ANJ: Mmm... expected that much? Hehe. Anyway... whoever reviews... GETS A PLUSHIE! The plushies available are; Kai plushie, Ray plushie, Tyson plushie, Max plushie, Kenny plushie, Mariah plushie, Hilary plushie, Fern plushie, Lee plushie, Gary plushie, Emily plushie and a Hiro plushie, and some other extras too. :) I'll reveal which plushie you get next chapter... Muhaha. The wonderful world of plushies.**

**Tyson: ...Can I have the Tyson plushie?**

**ANJ: ¬.¬U NO! These aren't for you /Hits Tyson over head/ Stupid boy**


	18. Bullet Through the Heart

**ALERT ALERT! DEDICATION CHAPTER/Flashes read light/**

**Tyson: MY EYES! O.O**

**TOOooooo... SpiritualEnergy! YEP! This chapter is especially for you. For being particularly helpful to me; and she may not know it; but her story, _Chinese For Two_ has given me some inspiration. She's a great writer, and each time I read one of her stories, I just get this urge to write more and more. She is a perfect example of a brilliant author who proves that writing can be easy, all you have to do is really set your heart on it and it'll turn out EXACTLY how you want it. Thanks, SE:):):) You get the special dedication plushie which is Kai.. IN A BIKINI! WHOO HOO!**

**ANJ: And Thanks once again for the reviews. You guys really do help me, you have no idea how much I appreciate it. Now, who wants plushies?**

**Tyson/Jumps up and down/ ME ME ! PICK ME!**

**ANJ: ¬.¬U Not you twit! My lovely reviewers! Uhmmm... / My guess is probably most of you want a Kai plushie... In fact... a lot of you even said so. :P So... /Throws lots of Kai plushies into the air/ WHOO KAI'S ALL AROUNDDDD!**

**Tyson: AHHH! IT'S RAINING KAI'S!**

**Fan girls: YAY!**

**Heh heh, and just for you chocolateriku.. here's a Max plushie... and Soi, as seen as I've already gave you about 100 Kai plushies... not like you'd ever get bored of them... but here.. /Gives Tyson plushie/ I think you like him too, right? **

**ANJ: Uhmm, please R&R peepz. (ARGH! I hate this chapter. I had the worse time ever making this right. Sorry, it's a boring chappie in my eyes. Better to come!) Oh, and this chapter contains conversations about teenage issues, just to let you know. Nothing too extreme though, don't worry! (Okay.. big authors note.. gotta cut down..gotta cut down..)**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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Chapter 18- Bullet Through the Heart

His lips felt fizzled. Still warm. Still swarmed with that flowery scent, no matter how many glasses of water he had drank that night. And now, the morning after, it still remained deep within his mind, an unwanted replication, re-playing and re-playing, making it seem like an endeavor to brainwash. It appeared to him, there was no way around it. No way to forget it. There was nothing he dreaded more than accepting it, and now, he was going to make sure anything like that NEVER happened again. Especially with _her._

It infuriated him; to even think, how she had caught him off-guard like that. How she, a simple girl, could meddle with his feelings in such a way, and drive him in to a total new light, breaking his shield away from the world and losing the battle. A loser, that's how he described how he felt right now. A loser, for falling for such a sneaky trick. It was still unknown to him though, why he felt that way. Why did he kiss her back? What drove him to do such a thing? The thought clouded his mind, turning off any other thought and covering it in darkness, striking a clean light at the multiple questions that Kai just couldn't answer himself; even though he knew he was the only one who could answer them.

Annoyed, he cupped his head in between his hands, but if only that was enough to free his mind from the war. With a strong force, he slowly raised his legs out of bed, and rested them on the carpet below. Even that was a struggle, his head banged like a constant drum whining in his head, pressuring him to think about the kiss. He shivered slightly, his bare arms becoming released to the chilly air and the smooth blue atmosphere in the bedroom. He glanced across at the curtains, a strong blaze cast red shadows off the walls, illuminating them in to a whirl-wind of colours. The morning sun was rising, but that was most certainly the last thing on his mind, although watching the red stream of light bursting through the window kind of soothed his thoughts.

By the chill in the air, he guessed it had been snowing. That thought disappeared straight away, when the previous came lingering back to his complete annoyance.

'I don't understand. How could I have been so stupid! It was her fault! She drove me in to it! She kissed me first then pulled me in, I had no choice! Yeah.. that's it.. I didn't really have a choice. She just suddenly grabbed me, I was too shocked to even pull away.'

'Master... forgive my intrusion... but did it ever cross your mind as to why you touched her face? Or why you made that promise to her, in fact?' Dranzer asked, trying to be a help to Kai.

Kai scowled to himself at Dranzer's words. The promise had crossed his mind a couple of times, but not as much as the kiss. He was messed up. A constant battle was occurring in his mind, flooding with new accusations and feelings and thoughts each second, he felt like he was going insane. It just didn't seem like him. What possessed him to do such a thing? He admit to himself that talking with her was just fine, but a kiss was going beyond is moderation. 'It just wasn't me. DRANZER! WHY DID I DO IT!' Kai cried in his mind, squeezing his head in between his trembling and cold fingertips. 'It just wasn't me. It wasn't me Dranzer! I can't believe it! And I never slip up! It must be her! Fern! She's just persuasive, that's all. Right, Dranzer? She's just tricky and clever and she caught me off-guard for once. That's all, right?'

'It's not my place, Kai.' With that, Dranzer left Kai's mind. As much as the bird wished she could help him; she knew this was one of those things only he could sort out- after all, Dranzer wasn't human.

"Ray, can I have a second helping?" Kai heard Tyson's voice from the main room. It sounded foggy; a little quiet, too. Although in reality, it was loud and clear but Kai wasn't paying attention to what Tyson was saying. His mind was deeply stuck on something else.

'I wasn't myself that night. I think I had too much excitement in all one day, with the party and all. It was just something that happened. Besides, she was the one who started the kissing. She's trying to wrap me around her little finger. As if it's going to work...' Kai stood up, puffing out his chest in pride. He thought he had his conclusion all figured out, and he was actually quite pleased with himself for being able to think it through and end in the fact that it was all her fault. 'Yeah.. it was all her. I may have tried to kiss her back, but that's only because she is rather forceful. I won't be falling for that trick again.' Kai smiled to himself, but it soon disappeared as he gave his muscley arms a good stretch over his head, letting out a quiet yawn to go with it. He pulled on his dark purple pants and a tight, purple vest, which outlined his abs perfectly.

"Hey, I'm worried about Kai." Ray spoke, trying to be as quiet as possible. Kai's ears snapped in to action when he caught Ray's voice, and immediately pulled the curtain open, stepping in to the main room, as pairs of shocked eyes settled on him.

"And why is that?" Kai asked, well, it was more of a demand to know. Every eye in the room wandered nervously on to Ray, who was stood over the kitchen table with a large soup spoon in his left hand, save for Fern, who was gazing sharply at the distracting television. They could feel tension literally through their skin, as a quick silence swept over the room in the most unwanted way possible. Kai wasn't meant to have heard that. Now what, the truth?

Ray opened his mouth so to speak, although closed it again as his eyes fixed on Kai, noticing that his bare feet meant he was just getting dressed. He must have spoke louder than intended. "Uhhh... I..." Ray stuttered, turning to face his team mates again softly, their faces pitying Ray's words. "Just you're up later than us. We've already contacted Mr Dickenson. He wasn't too happy that we called him at 7 in the morning, although he's agreed to sort out the tour with us." The Neko tried to change the conversation in the calmest way possible.

Kai closed his eyes steadily. 'Trying to avoid the question, huh? What sort of answer is that, Ray?' He opened them again, becoming in contact with Ray's unsure golden gaze. The phoenix rolled his eyes, unexpectedly landing them on to a certain fire-haired female which suddenly made his heart flip. In _anger._

She lifted her head, her green eyes settling on to him. He felt her shock, a major sharp sparkle ran through her eyes, a flash of surprise whipping on to her face. Her fatal expression made Kai smile inside; of pure high resolution. He had just made her frown. Made her nervous. Made her _scared._ Or so it seemed. But that was good enough for him. He didn't hate her. He just wanted to make her see, that things aren't meant to be. That last night, was just a one-off, a mistake. Something that should never happen again. And if he had to, he'd be as negative as possible to her just to make this clear.

Fern opened her mouth to speak, but backed down. She immediately turned back around again and faced the TV set, although she didn't want to because she had plenty to say to Kai. That was just to prove there was no tension between the two, trying to convince Kai the whole situation didn't bother her in the slightest.

Kai let out a soft sigh, before turning his attention back on to Ray again. "Whatever. I was up late last night. Let's just call it a birthday hang-over. Other than that, it's none of your business what I do and why I do it. So stop worrying, and do your thing. It's much easier that way," Kai stated coldly, swarming his eyes on each shocked blader's face, leaning a fist on his hip as if to celebrate a victory. With that, he turned on tail and walked casually back in to the bedroom, pulling the curtain shut as he did so.

For a few moments, the Bladebreakers stared at the direction Kai was stood, almost unable to keep their eyes off that very spot. A quick recovery, Tyson, Max and Kenny turned their heads back on to the angry cook.

"Damn... if he doesn't want us to care about him, then do you think he doesn't care about us?" Ray asked, speaking much quieter this time although he had a feeling with ears like Kai's he'd still be able to pick it up. If only his voice was better than his hearing, then maybe Kai might be easier to understand.

"Meh. Just forget it, man. That's Kai for ya. He does whatever he wants, when he wants. And what's most annoying is, he has to get his own way," Tyson sighed, just as he swallowed a big mouthful of noodle soup.

"Na," Everyone turned and looked at Fern. "I wouldn't say Kai has to get his own way. The problem with him is, if something happens he doesn't like, or he is unfamiliar with, he'll go against it by all means. Like.. his first try at something. He sees the most important things pointless. And he's ignorant. He won't even give it a try. _That's_ his problem." Fern said boldly, and on purpose loudly, just so a certain someone could here. Everyone stared at her in surprise.

"Wow, Fern. I've never heard you talk bad about anyone," Tyson said. "But hey, I must say. She's got a point. LIKE RESTAURANTS! They're important right? Restaurants mean food, and food means.. well... you need it to live! And every time I mention it, he simply gives me a petty look. Like I'm one below him! It's disgraceful, I tell ya! I need food as much as he needs it!"

Ray narrowed his eyelids in askance. "Shhhh!"

Fern sweatdropped. 'Well... restaurants aren't exactly what I had in mind... but Tyson's right. Hmmm... so, is that why Kai? You're too good for me?' Fern shook her head suddenly to herself. It made her wonder. Had she been wrong about Kai all this time? After the many times she had told herself all he needed was a little fun and he'd maybe brighten, was all that one big lie? Did he really have a heart? Had she been that imbecile? Though she didn't like to believe it, everything her new team mates had said about Kai, about him being cold and ruthless, suddenly became somewhat true to her. She couldn't believe she actually tried to convince herself they were all wrong about Kai. After last night's performance, she had seen enough already to make her change her mind about him. 'In two weeks... I thought I could do it. Change him. Not completely, but just to make him shine a little more. Well, NOW I've seen the real Kai... and.. I think I've changed my mind. I used to think his little snaps at his team were for the good of them. Kinda cute.' Fern sighed. 'Now after this... were they really for the good of them? Or for the good of himself? It just shows how much he cares for his team. His team are below him. That doesn't make a leader. It makes a loser.'

Snapping out of her thoughts, she brought herself back in to reality to find Ray staring intensively at her. "What's wrong?" He asked, noticing her weak and unsatisfied features.

She suddenly smiled, trying to erase her frown in to a positive and friendly grin. "Nothing's wrong," She lied. "How about some soup? Ray raised an eyebrow slightly. He could have swore she was thinking about something then, something bad, and maybe disappointing if he described her expression correctly. He just shrugged it away, and pulled her a smile.

"Sure. You finally want some, huh? I knew you would in the end." Ray grinned, grabbing a bowl from the side and placing it on the table in front of a chair, and began pouring hot soup in to the bowl. "I dunno if any of you have noticed, but it's been snowing."

"Na, I noticed. It's kind of annoying, really. It's soooo coldddd!" Max hugged himself.

"Yeah, but it's fun!" Tyson yelped. "We should go out and mess about in it later!" Fern sat at the table, while Ray sat down himself and tucked in to his own soup.

"I'm sure captain Kai won't allow that," Fern said glumly.

Tyson stared at Fern in disbelief. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, you've been bad-mouthing Kai all morning! Not like we mind but... hey? Have you two had a fallout or something?" Ray asked.

Fern restrained herself from telling the truth. She didn't like to cause a stir between the team, it made her feel selfish. She even felt guilty just talking about Kai, but he had truly hit her where it hurts. And the glares he had been giving her all morning, made her feel like he was still hitting her while she was down. She could hardly hide her anger. "No, no." She lied, using her silver spoon to make waves and spirals in her soup as she gently stirred it around, with her other hand gently cupped in her chin. "I just think he's too hard on you guys."

"Don't worry about it, he's always like that. We're used to it now, though." Kenny smiled, draping his eyes over Fern's sad face.

"Mmm... I dunno. I think there's something else," Fern said, giving each blader a quick gaze.

Tyson swallowed his spoonful of soup, then flapped his arms excitedly out to the side. "I think Fern's on to something. Maybe he's... just been going through the teenage stage for a couple of years. You know, puberty can come as a shock for some people."

Fern spat out her mouthful of soup into her bowl and laughed hysterically. "You think Kai's still grieving about his deep voice?" She smirked.

Ray and Max pulled each other wary looks, as they listened in on the weird conversation, not daring to make a contribution. Kenny hid behind his laptop, feeling the embarrassment.

"Heh heh... Libido, anyone?" Tyson grinned. Fern laughed again, swallowing her soup before she could spit it out again. It just caught her mind. That reminded her of something. "Maybe he's just discovered girls. Took him long enough." Fern stared at Tyson. He was snickering all the way through. Not wanting to break the chain, Fern chuckled, trying to make it seem as real as possible. Last night once again flooded her mind. It had never occurred to her that, that could be the reason as to why he suddenly freaked and ran. Was he nervous around girls? Was the whole lovey-dovey stuff new to him? She had already figured that out in the first few days she had met him, but never took it seriously. He was always acted cool, seemed to portray a laid-back type. She never expected him to freak out so much at one little kiss. It had hurt her in more ways than imaginable. As memory served her, he had left her sat all alone upon that lonely hill, cold, and unwilling to return back to the hotel. She could remember the tears that had welled up inside her eyes, and a forceful pain in her chest that felt like her heart had been torn apart and pulled out, then stamped on like it was a piece of dirt. Like _on one_ cared.

She replayed that night again, in her head. About an hour later, of sitting alone in the dark, she had finally managed to get up, and make it back to the hotel to find everyone was still asleep. She guessed Kai had went in to the bedroom to sit and think. She didn't want to talk it through with him. She remembered, instead she had simply gotten comfortable on the sofa and settled down for the night, although most of the night was spent wiping her sore eyes free of any tears. The pain. She still felt it now, deep within her body. But it didn't hurt as much as it did last night. Last night, the pain was undescribable. Something she had never felt before, something she didn't understand. A bullet through her heart. That's what it felt like.

And then the morning had came, still feeling as rough as ever, she was irritatingly chased around the whole hotel by Tyson with his shoe clasped in his hand, trying to hit her over the head with it. Somehow, he had discovered the cream trick was her doing, and he even swore revenge on her. But, Max had simply laughed his 'accident' off. But she didn't care. It didn't bother her that she was nearly creamed by Tyson. The glares Kai had pulled her earlier bothered her more. She still couldn't let last night fully sink in...

"Na, I think he's discovered them already," Max laughed, joining in. "I think he used to have a crush on Hilary."

Fern immediately broke away from her thoughts and listened curiously.

Tyson shook his head. "Na, it was the other way around. She used to flirt with him like some annoying wasp. He just used to give her that usual unfavorable silence."

"Then again, Kai was never much of a speaker, was here?" Ray pointed out.

"...Which brings us back to our first pointer. He didn't like the changes," Tyson smirked, holding the soup bowl to his face and letting the soup drain down his throat, making loud gulping sounds. He placed his bowl back on to the table with a slam, licking his lips before speaking again. "Irritability. Excessive feelings of annoyance and frustration. Savvy? Oh, and we can't forget secrecy. There's another major change in teens. They often hide away in their rooms, right?"

Max nodded and smiled cheekily. "Yeah. That's Kai. So secretive and quiet."

"Mood changes? Does he often do that? Have moods for no reason?" Fern asked.

"Hell yeah! Where have you been, Fern? He's in a mood today. Couldn't you tell? He's in a mood everyday!" Tyson smirked. Fern nodded to herself. As if she _couldn't_ notice. Another one hit her head.

"You know Tyson, another one is increased appetite," Fern laughed smugly.

Ray laughed nervously. "Tyson's had that since he was a child!"

The blue dragon smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, but it increased when I turned 12. And it's been increasing since!" Tyson smiled, staring up in to space above him. "I was so proud of me. I knew I was growing up fast. The signs were all there."

Everyone laughed, including Kenny who chuckled lightly from behind his laptop.

"Right, and as if that changed anything. Your love for food just... grew...?" Fern giggled.

"My dear Fern, I'm telling you. It's all part of growing up. Which once again brings us back to the point of all of this. I accepted it better than Kai. Which makes me, the more laid-back person. Case closed."

Another role of laughter filled the jolly room. 'Was that really the case in the first place? Somehow it started with Kai and ended with Tyson.' She laughed anyway. Fern treasured the last few hiccups of giggles she released, and sighed as she ended it with a happy grin. Tyson had cheered her up, and gave her a great time. It had brightened up her hopes a little, and given her a good start to the morning. Personally told, she was dreading the day forward. She knew her saddened mood she had woken up in would put the Bladebreakers down, but now since this happy outburst of joy, she felt most of her worries slip away and remain in the back of her mind for the time being.

"Thanks Tyson," Fern smiled. She felt like laughing again by the look Tyson pulled her.

"For what?" He asked unknowingly, a confused look on his face.

"For making me laugh," Fern said, curving her lip line in to a tight, steady grin that seemed to stick there for more than 5 seconds this time. For a few seconds, Tyson silently watched her, his mouth open slightly in surprise. He suddenly nodded and smiled at her, giving her a 'you're welcome' gaze.

Each blader's attention arose on to the door, as several knocks came pattering on to it, a polite, swift knock that seemed to give off a feeling of wealth. Tyson's soft grin turned in to a wild smirk, as he excitedly jumped off his seat and stared loveably at the door.

"Mr D's here!" Tyson called, everyone now following Tyson's actions and standing up. Fern brushed herself down briefly, wanting to create an impression on the arriver. He was important, after all. The door opened, and Mr Dickenson stepped into the room, a bright smile on his face underneath his moustache.

"Hello Bladebreakers..." Mr Dickenson said, only to notice a girl stood shyly behind Ray. "...And girl." He quickly skimmed the room, immediately noticing that someone was missing. "Where's Kai?"

"Right here," Everyone swirled around, to find Kai emerging from the bedroom, setting a sharp glare on each of them, with his arms crossed over his chest. Everyone continued to watch as Kai stood against the nearest wall to him, but so he was in sight of Mr Dickenson and the other bladers.

Fern rolled her eyes, but found herself smiling slightly. 'He always likes to make an entrance...'

Mr Dickenson briefly checked his watch, sighing and pulling a wary face. "Right, straight to the point, I'm supposed to be at the tour earlier than the visitors."

Tyson nodded, stepping forward so to speak. "Yeah. How come we weren't invited to the tour? I mean it's US who's gonna be battling in there, so why aren't we allowed? How come we weren't informed?"

"Well Tyson, that's the thing. You are involved, and you are most definitely wanted," Mr Dickenson began, watching Tyson's face turn in to a puzzled look. "You were wanted by the public. You don't want more than a dozen cameras pushed in your faces do you, when you are trying to enjoy the tour? It's much unnecessary, and for the time being, we're trying to keep the stadium away from cameras until the actual final begins. If you famous Bladebreakers are known to be there, that will encourage the press to release more and more journalists. We don't want any cameras inside the stadium, as there is a lot of new surprises which we hope to keep a secret from the TV screens for the time being."

"Publicity huh? Well, I don't care about cameras and stuff. I like..." Before Tyson could finish, another voice cut him off.

"...Yeah, we all know you like the cameras, Tyson. But Mr Dickenson has got a point." Kai stated coldly, and by the movement of his lips, Mr Dickenson could see he was going to take a further turn and throw a lecture at Tyson, but instead he decided to carry on from where Kai left off.

"...And my point is, the crowds of people predicted that are going to turn up is an unbelievable number. There is a tour of the stadium, which is free, however, that only includes the arena. 100 people managed to grab themselves an advanced ticket, and that was through competitions, given free to famous bladers, such as the White Tigers, and generally first come first serve. People with an advanced ticket will be shown around the whole entire stadium and will be shown to their rooms, but I won't go in to great detail about that now, you'll find out once you reach the stadium on Friday, so I ensure you must have your belongings packed for then," Mr Dickenson continued. "There will be a barrier, which will circle the stadium and will be opened every 10 minutes, as only 200 people are allowed in to the stadium at a time for their tour. It'll be total chaos, Tyson. I'm telling you. Cameras aren't always a good thing. That's why I wanted to avoid you Bladebreakers attending and for you to stay here while all that is going on. Which brings me to another point. Alot of fans live at Long Island, and if I had booked an accommodation for you there, you'll expect press when you're simply walking down the street. It's much safer here in Manhattan."

"But lots of fans is a good thing, right?" Ray asked.

"Yes, it is. But many people from around the world have gathered at Long Island, because that is where the construction of the new stadium is. Nowadays beyblading isn't just a simple sport, people become emotionally attached to it and include it in their everyday lifestyle."

Fern stood back, and listened to everything that was going on. The flaming-haired teen threw her hand on her hip, casting her green eyes on Mr Dickenson, who seemed to be making a good point as far as she was concerned. She suddenly thought. Will the Blade Warriors be there?

"Sir, did the Blade Warriors grab themselves an advanced ticket each? Are they going?" Fern asked, as all eyes settled on her, then again on Mr Dickenson as he began to speak.

"Yes. They will be. They wouldn't take no for an answer, so I had to give them the tickets," Mr Dickenson said, his thoughts wandering off. "Those four are a mysterious bunch, I'm telling you. We offered them a hotel to rest in before the tournament just like we did with you guys, yet they didn't seem so keen. Apparently, they have their own place."

Fern only wished Mr Dickenson could continue with his talk about the Blade Warriors, but that wasn't the main concern right now.

"Please Mr D?" Max begged, pulling his best sweet smile.

Mr Dickenson sighed. He could tell they weren't going to take no for an answer either. "Alright, I suppose, but don't say I didn't warn you! But that's only because you are the Bladebreakers. If you were just fans I wouldn't just hand out advanced tickets on a plate," He explained. "I will be arriving at the stadium in a BBA bus, and I have to be there before you guys get there. How about I book you on to the 9:00am ferry at Manhattan Harbour? It should be okay." He checked his watch again. "Well, it's 7:30 now. I'm due at 8, and if I calculate correctly... I will arrive at the stadium one hour before you. It takes about 2-3 hours on the ferry, and by bus it takes about 15 minutes longer... so if I'm right, I shall arrive at the stadium at approximately quarter past 11, because I am setting off an hour earlier than you."

Tyson stared at Mr Dickenson in bewilderment. "You know, I didn't get a word of that. But yeah, 9 right? And what about our tour tickets as well?"

Mr Dickenson reached in to his pocket and brought out 6 tickets. "Here are spare advanced tickets, and I'm guessing that girl is coming along too? I'm sorry, I don't know your name?"

"I'm Fern Ryuki. It's nice to meet you. And thank you," Fern smiled politely.

Max grinned. "Yeah, she's our substitute."

"Oh? Is she a replacement for Hilary?" The man casually asked.

Tyson's eyes widened, along with the rest of them, of course, apart from Kai who simply stood there like no such accusation was made. "No way. As Max said... she's our substitute, I guess." Fern frowned. She didn't want it to seem like she was just a replacement for Hilary. She knew she could never take the bubbly girl's place, and along with this, she couldn't help worry that the fans might see it this way too.

"Well, okay. I'll give these tickets to the team captain. I believe it was your birthday yesterday, Kai? Well, happy birthday," Mr Dickenson held out the 6 tickets to Kai, who took them without even looking up at him. "And, the ferry. I shall contact the captain and explain to him that the Bladebreakers need a last-minute sail. The bill will be provoked on to the BBA, under my responsibility. Now, I really must go. Good luck boys and girl!"

"See-ya later Mr Dickenson!" Tyson grinned, as Mr Dickenson gave each blader a smile then walked out of the room, leaving a bunch of very excited bladers, minus Kai.

A quick silence followed, until shortly after Tyson stirred it again. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go now!"

Kenny frowned. "We have an hour and a half before the ferry sets off, though. We should spend this time practicing."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Tyson has a point. It'll take us at least half an hour to walk to the harbour. We'll be queuing for a while, too, if we don't get there early," Kai said, lifting his head up slightly. Fern's eyes caught Kai's, green verse mahogany, and for a few moments, they simply stared at each other with an emotion truly unreadable in their eyes. At least, to the Bladebreakers it was. They had no idea of the tension between them.

Tyson broke their eye contact when he ran in front of Fern. "Yeah!" He cheered, biting the air with his flying fist. "Let's march, sailors! Let Captain Kai lead the way!"

Kai shook his head. 'Idiot.'

The ferry was now clearly noticeable when the Bladebreakers reached the Manhattan Harbour, and to their surprise, it was a lot bigger than they expected. Of course, it was nothing like the size of the Titanic, or a cruise ship, but it was a fairly decent size, due to the fact many people from Manhattan were probably going to be boarding it just to get a glimpse of the new stadium. And by the size of the crowd, it seemed the whole of Manhattan was there. Because of the fact The Bladebreakers had arrived here an hour earlier, probably meant there was many more people yet to come.

Manhattan Harbour was a peaceful area. The harbour was simply an enormous plank bridge that stood over the sea, being held up by simple wood blocks and rope. It looked very sturdy though, despite it being built old-fashioned. The only thing Tyson couldn't comprehend was how it could hold up so much weight. There had to be at least 200 people all gathered in one spot, all waiting for access to the ship.

The planks of wood were covered in thin layers of snow, shining like a water crystal and letting off a sinister sparkle that seemed to lack the usual boring grey slush. The Bladebreakers could feel their toes freezing up, the bottom of their shoes being surrounded by white snow. Suddenly, the ferry let out a huge honk, as a man appeared in a white sailor's suit and hat, who could barely be seen by the Bladebreakers as they couldn't see past the crowds of people. The crew member unloosened the rope which was previously tied up against the entrance of the ship, and he began taking tickets from the people.

"Looks like we got here just in time, otherwise Dizzi might have froze," Kenny shivered, clutching Dizzi underneath his arm, rubbing it with his palm just like his little pet.

The sea looked rough; almost too rough to even sail on. A grey, thick mist separated from the sea, creating a deadly chill in the air. It was absolutely freezing, and Tyson couldn't make that clearer enough.

"OH GEEZ! It's bloody cold!" He cried, using his arms to hug himself in an effort to warm himself up. Fern nodded in agreement, holding her arms with each opposite hand. She didn't realize how cold it was until a few minutes after stepping out of the hotel; but she knew she had to hold on. Now they were closer to the sea, it seemed almost impossible to stay focused. She hadn't brought her thick peach jacket, instead she wore a thin dark pink coat, which didn't even reach past her backside.

The sky was noticeably grey, too, and it almost seemed as if there was going to be a thunder storm. Black clouds were forming heavily over their heads, but there wasn't a high chance it was going to thunder in winter, although there was a small possibility. If they had learnt anything, then it was simply that the weather couldn't be trusted.

"Well? Should we go?" Ray asked, hating having to stand still in the cold. Tyson nodded.

"Yeah, c'mon!" He cried, running towards the ferry and waiting behind the many people who wished to board the ship. Everyone followed, cursing the fact that the tour had to be on one of the coldest days of the year.

Finally, they reached the front of the cue, and were greeted by the man dressed in white. He had neat, brown hair, and dark brown eyes, which could just be seen underneath his slanted sailor's hat.

Tyson smiled proudly. "Okay, so we'll just be boarding this ship now," Tyson swung his arms back and fourth as he attempted to walk straight past the crew member. The sailor held out his hand straight in Tyson's face, causing Tyson to stop in concern. "Uhmmm... perhaps not then."

"Do you have tickets? You can't board this ship without them. I presume these are with you too?" The crew member asked, pointing to the rest of the Bladebreakers.

Tyson smirked and straightened his hat cooly. "Do you know who we are, sir? We, are the most greatest and well-known beyblade champions. We, are the Bladebreakers!" Tyson proudly puffed out his chest, awaiting the crew member to suddenly shout for joy and ask for an autograph. Instead, he simply shrugged.

"Oh, Right. Yeah, Mr Dickenson informed us about half an hour ago you would be coming. Well, I suppose I'll have to let you on. You may board," He said, moving aside to let them past. Tyson's head burned in fury.

Fern laughed. "Oh quit it Tyson!"

The Bladebreakers, with Kai not too far behind, happily walked aboard the ship, momentarily taking in the sight of the ferry before wandering to the main deck which was located at the front of the ship. They had to pass through an in-door part of the ferry, where food and drink was already being served and there was even a man setting up a karaoke. They rested on a bench which was circling the outside of the deck, which was, in Kai's eyes, a very idiotic place to choose to sit. If his memory proved him correct, earlier they were moaning about it being cold. And now, they choose to sit closer to the sea where no doubt it was going to be even colder. Although, the cold didn't bother Kai, so he wasn't particularly bothered if they froze, and sat with them anyway.

"Brrrr... It's cold sat here..." Max moaned, grasping the edge of the ferry with his hands as he looked over the edge and his blue eyes caught the ocean.

"Yeah, tell me about it. But I like it here," Tyson smiled. "Nothing like that fresh sea air."

"Hmmmm... I might get something to eat. Something hot," Fern said, staring over at the small windows where she could see people being served with food.

Tyson grinned. "OH YEAH! Food, now that's a good idea. Best idea I've heard all day."

"Hn. I'm going for a walk. Try not to freeze to death or anything," Kai said coldly, frantically getting up without even opening his eyes, and before any of them could say anything, he just wandered off in to his own little world once again.

Everyone watched as Kai walked away, with somewhat amused expressions on their faces. "DON'T WORRY KAI! WE'LL TRY NOT TO FREEZE TO DEATH!" Tyson yelled back at him. "Wow, he actually cares if we freeze to death? What would you call this one, Fern?"

"Hmmm... mood change. Definitely," Fern spoke in a formal manner. "From being a total heartless being to a caring little pixie."

Soon enough the ferry departed, and they were finally off in to the open ocean. It took them a few minutes before they all noticed it had actually set off, due to them talking in such a deep conversation about Kai. Although, when they realized they were moving, they didn't bother to stop their conversation just to celebrate the departure of the ship, and instead they carried on talking.

"I must admit, Kai has been acting a little colder than usual lately." Max questioned. "Is he trying to prove something?"

Ray shook his head. "I think this conversation is going too far now, guys. Leave the guy alone. I know he can be well... Kai-ish, but that's just him. It's his free-will. You can't change him for who he is."

Fern suddenly latched her eyes on to Ray, his words hitting a spot deep within her core. She winced her eyes at herself for a split second, immediately feeling a desire to know more. More about Kai... It almost seemed like, she had been messing with Kai's free-will. She thought hard, her gaze leaving Ray and finding the ground for support. If she remembered correctly, from the very start, she set herself a playful challenge. She was so determined to get Kai to shine a little and have fun, but thinking about what Ray said... it did seem like she was messing with his mind. His own free-will. Kai was dark, cold, mysterious, that's the way he was. Trying to release a new light from him, a source of enjoyment, when it wasn't his thing, was basically messing with his own thoughts.

'Messing with his own thoughts...' She suddenly gasped. At that moment, she felt a comparison with something familiar to her. 'Black Pele... messing with my thoughts.. it's the same thing isn't it?' Her eyes shot open in horror. Not even convincing herself it wasn't the same thing could work. Something told her it was the truth; it was almost equivalent. She bowed her head, in shame. She didn't realize it until now. But she knew, what she had tried to do, was really, really bad.

'Oh no... I must have... I've been so stupid. I've purposely messed with his mind just to change him for a bit of fun. I've never seen it this way before. I feel so dirty. I feel so guilty. It's all my fault. No wonder he just left me last night...oh.. I'm so sorry, Kai. I didn't think about it that way. Dammit, what have I done? I've made a complete fool of myself. I haven't been sensible at all.' Fern frowned in guilt. Her face looked like she'd just lost a battle, a really intense one. Now she couldn't hide it, the guilt came slipping down her skin. Her eyes glowed a deep green, flashing with extreme disappointment and loss. 'Have a just lost a friend because of my... stupidity efforts?'

Tyson shrugged. "Fine. But seriously, we have a point." Fern was snapped out of her thoughts and suddenly pulled back in to the real world, where free-will existed on the out-side. "Don't we Fern?"

Fern hesitated. "S-sure. Yeah." The red-head shivered in guilt, yet the cold weather wasn't exactly helping. 'Hmmm. Well that was a good lie, Fern.'

"Hmmm..." Tyson's eyes began to freely wander, not trying to locate anything in particular. To his surprise, his attention caught something more interesting that just the normal small crowds of people. His jaw suddenly dropped, continuing to stare at the gorgeous being his eyes had found. Getting so caught up staring, he didn't even notice that dribble had began sinking in to his skin beneath his bottom lip. Fern raised an eyebrow.

"Uhhh.. Tyson? What are you doing?" She asked, trying to follow Tyson's eye direction. She examined his face, his eyes drooped in to a daft closure as he looked on dreamily. Max, Ray and Kenny joined Fern's confusion, and followed Tyson's line of gaze until their eyes hit on to a young girl, who couldn't possibly be any older than 17. They stared at her, taking in her appearance. She had deep, blonde hair, and light purple eyes. She wore a pink apron, which reached down to her knees.

Fern waved her hand in front of Tyson's face. "Hellloooo? Earth to Tyson?"

"Wha, WHAT!" Tyson shook his head and blinked repeatedly, finally snapping out of his phase. "Oh heh heh.." He rubbed the back of his head when he saw Ray and the others watching him with eyebrows raised.

"What are you doing?" Asked Max.

"Hmmm... someone's got the hots for the waitress," Fern giggled.

Tyson blushed. "And who said it was her?"

Fern twitched and looked over at her again. She was pretty, but then again she was just a normal woman. Tyson sure picked his times and places, and women for that matter. Fern was actually surprised Tyson went for waitress, when there was plenty of other girls who had more interesting careers. Then again, it wasn't the career that mattered. The blonde was serving people food, probably one of Tyson's favourite's. 'Oh..wait a sec.' Fern smiled. "Oh, I see. You were drooling over the food?"

Tyson nodded in agreement with a daft expression on his face. Fern saw through his cover-up.

She rolled her eyes. "Of COURSE you were Tyson."

"It's only natural," Tyson admitted.

"Isn't she a little old for you, Tyson?" Asked Kenny, peering over his laptop.

Tyson shook his head. "Well, you're never too old for anyone. I guess... you know, I'm hungry. I'll call her over. HEY LADY-WAITER GIRL!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, enough to make the rest of the team cringe at the sudden loudness.

'Tyson, you idiot,' Fern sweatdropped.

Everyone's eyes widened, as two purple eyes set gaze on them, and were given a soft smile, that cheered her expression in a huge shot of beauty. Tyson went as red as a tomato, as the waitress began to make her way towards them, still with that charming smile slapped on her made-up face. Ray blushed a little too. He could see it so clearly now, no wonder Tyson liked her. She was very pretty. The feline glanced across at Max, who was shifting his eyes in all directions in awkwardness. Kenny had his laptop pushed further up against his face, just so he could avoid any embarrassment. Tyson grabbed on to Fern's arm with his nails, clutching it harder and harder as the woman got closer, until...

"Hello. Would you like to order something?" Her breath, it seemed so soft and light, with a strange lavender scent to it. Tyson enjoyed the fresh breath of the woman massage his drowsy face. Trying not to get too slack, instead, he smartened up, rubbed the back of his head and leant back against the side of the ship.

Fern snickered with her hand over her lips, but stopped when Tyson gave her a slight nudge. The red-head gazed over at Ray and Max, who were watching her with a wash of uncomfortableness glued to their faces. 'Setting out to impress, huh?' Fern laughed inside. She glanced over at Kenny, to see him typing on Dizzi rather fast and unneeded. She shook her head slightly, totally amused. 'Boys can be so.. weird.'

"Uh...Of course! Why else would I call you over?" Tyson grinned sheepishly, lowering his head backwards slightly to catch the chill off the sea to submerge his skin with sprinkles of water in effort to ease his hot, flushed face.

"Mmmm..." The waitress pulled Tyson a small smile, closing her eyelids for a split second to show all friendliness. She lowered her hand in to her back apron pocket, and handed Tyson a small menu. The nervous boy stared at it for a few seconds, before taking it from her hand and exchanging her back that closed-eye friendly look. He casually opened up the menu booklet, trying to make a 'normal' impression on her. As he began to read, he couldn't help but occasionally wander his eyes off the menu and on to her, but when he did so, she just gave him that cute, soft smile.

Fern leant over Tyson's shoulder and began to read the menu out loud. "Hoob's Noodles... fries and sauce... chicken curry... breakfast special... Mmm... what to choose, what to choose..."

Tyson set her a friendly glare, sticking out his bottom lip. Fern raised an eyebrow and giggled a little. Was Tyson actually bothered if this waitress found them weird? That was a new one for Tyson. Fern thought he seemed like the type who was just always himself. She giggled to herself again. 'I learn more and more as I hang out with these guys.'

"Hoob's Noodles is a special recipe named after the captain, Captain Archer Hoob. They sure are good," The young waitress said, and let a pretty smile glow on her face. She continued to stare, her face growing more and more happier. "You're the Bladebreakers, aren't you?"

Tyson grinned and squealed in delight. "You bet we are! You a fan?"

The girl nodded. "Sure I am. After my shift here is over I'm going to be at the tour. My guess you are too, right?" She took this moment to look around swiftly, shifting her eyes in every direction she could just clasp in sight. Fern noticed her movements. It almost seemed like she was looking out for someone.

This time Ray spoke, much to Tyson's annoyance. "Yeah, we have advanced tickets."

The blonde smiled again sweetly, her ever-lasting fresh smile casting over the bladers. "Haha, yeah, no surprises there. I have an advanced ticket, too."

Fern smirked at the girl. She liked her, there was a nice, relaxing scent to her. She seemed so kind and soft, it was nice to see a change from the usual over-hyperactive fan girls who were literally always tagging along boy blader's sides all of the time. The blonde turned back to Tyson, still smiling, as she bent over a little bit as a gesture, cupping her notepad and pen in her hands and getting ready to write down the orders. "So...what will it be?" She stared at Tyson, who had his head stuck inside the shiny menu booklet, probably reading ever single meal on offer.

Tyson sat up proudly and politely. "Okay.. I think I'll have.." He glanced up from over the menu, almost collapsing on to the floor at what his eye's collided with. "AHHH! I mean uhmmm..." He flushed, and rubbed the back of his head. "I think I'll have... Boob's Noodles please..." He blinked. 'Wait.. WHAT?' "AHH NO! NO! I MEANT HOOB'S NOODLES! I SWEAR I DID! I SWEAR!"

Fern split in to immediate laughter. Ray and Max stared wide-eyed at Tyson, their eyes casting a dumbstruck glow on to the teen. They didn't once change their expression, but if they felt anything right now, it was pity for Tyson. If that girl had caught his slip of the tongue.. they dared not wonder what would happen to him. Kenny's face burst in to red flames, hiding his own team member's embarrassment behind a laptop. Fern continued to laugh, her sides were beginning to ache as she spat out huge outbursts of laughter.

'Tyson's face, price-less!' She laughed, squinting her eyes in total amusement as she examined Tyson's stiff face. The blonde woman stared, not fully comprehending anything right now. Her purple eyes shone a full unsure gaze on Tyson, a concerned look spreading over her features as she glanced over at Fern who was biting her wrist, trying to stop herself from laughing.

"Yes... you said you wanted Hoob's Noodles?" She asked, still a little confused. Tyson's face suddenly rose again, staring at the lady eye-to-eye. He sighed, a great, great relief.

'YES! OH THANK GOD! She didn't notice... argh!... stupid inner-me. Better not let my eyes get the better of my mouth next time,' Tyson sweatdropped, truly relieved she hadn't noticed what he said.

"Yeah..please.." Tyson said shakily, still astonishingly shocked with his own actions. He was almost breathless, he had no idea what had come over him. A loud burst of laughter was still going, coming from the one and only Fern. Tyson winced his eyes at her, and placed a fast hand over her mouth, and immediately she became silent, only with a few muffled giggles left.

"Same here," Max said, rolling his eyes at Tyson and Fern. He too, was extremely relieved for Tyson.

The blonde girl was jotting down notes on her note pad, then glanced up at Ray to ask him what he wanted, but before she could ask he answered before she even opened her mouth. Ray shook his head.

"No, not for me thanks," He said, trying so hard not to laugh.

"Nothing for me either," Kenny smiled sweetly, then immediately went back to typing. She nodded and smiled, which Tyson liked to think was aimed at him more than any of the others. With that, she disappeared back inside the ship. Finally Tyson could breathe.

"Libido," Max chuckled under his breath, earning a glare from Tyson.

Fern laughed. "Tyson, what the hell were you thinking of?"

"I think he's pretty much made that clear," Ray cringed, lowering his eyelids.

Tyson's face swelled up in to a deep crimson red, sending death glares at each of his friends. "Hm. Now I'm pulling a Kai and walking off."

"No you won't," Fern smirked.

"WHAT? And what makes you think I won't?" Tyson asked rather offensively, standing up with his arms folded to prove a point.

"Well, the food you ordered is bound to be ready soon."

Tyson thought for a second, then sat back down. "Good point."

Everyone laughed, even Kenny managed a strong chuckle. Their team mate was a one and only, and it made them think how lucky they were to have Tyson on their team. Not just because he was an oh-so-excellent blader, and despite he had his idiotic moments, he had a huge personality crammed in to that small brain of his, squashed between his love and thrill for beyblading. Fern smiled. She had never met anyone who made her laugh so much, a team that could actually make her smile last a good long time... for a while, anyway. She wondered when she had last laughed like that. She hadn't been this happy since... Her face suddenly fell in to a saddened frown.

'I miss my old team.'

She sighed, ignoring the blabbering faces of her friends, and standing up in complete silence in a familiar form of sadness. The silenced red-head turned to face the team, who had stopped talking and were staring at her contently, a little curious as to her actions, although they didn't question her motives. She smiled at no blader in particular, and half spun her body as though she was about to walk off, although kept her head leant over her shoulder so she could still keep the Bladebreakers in her sight.

"I'm going for a walk. See you guys later," She said corruptly, and turned her head forward, her back to the bladers, she began to walk off slowly. A clear glow tainted her movements, sealing an unusual amount of sadness and hatred in her careful steps and awkward movement. A slow, pacing shuffle slid across the deck floor, the only disturbing noise that was growing inside each blader's head with concern. The shuffle tingled straight through their bodies, enlighting a weird sign of unhappiness. It wasn't like her usual, normal happy skip she would do when she was in high spirits. It was a lonely, cold pace which even brought the Bladebreakers to wonder. Something was _different._

_Fern's POV_

_I feel awful. I feel so bad. I don't know what's coming over me, but I know it's not good. I can't stop thinking about.. everything. My heart hurts. It's leading me to some place I don't recognize, so I'll just continue walking. To no where. To a place where I can actually think alone. I do need the Bladebreakers, to help me. But I can't tell them about Black Pele, or Kai, or The Dark Stars, or any of that. It hurts too much just thinking about my old team. But, this is something I have to figure out for myself. But it's... hard. _

_I continued to walk to basically no where, feeling a dreaded chill every now and then as I became closer and closer to the edge of the ship. I'm keeping my head down, it's easier that way. I don't know where I'll end up, but I can think easier when I don't know where I am. _

_I can't stop thinking about... Kai. Last night. It hurts so bad, I really don't know how to deal with it. _

_'I do,' Werex said to me. I was actually going to think on my own, but I guess Werex can help me. Werex, I know you feel my pain, but you weren't the one who was turned away. If that's what I should even call it..._

_'Do you have a crush on Kai?' Werex asked me. I don't know. Now that I think about it, I'm more hurt because of the fact Kai could be so rude to me when I thought he wasn't truly like that. I haven't really been thinking about my feelings for him. I guess I just wanted to give him something to think about, as an extra birthday pressie. I only kissed him because I thought that's what he wanted. Why else would he touch my face and promise me he'll always be there for me, then when I try to kiss him as to say 'thanks' he just turns around and leaves me out in the cold. I'm confused... I'm... actually not sure why I kissed him... it just seemed right, you know?_

_I heard Werex sigh. 'Then, ask him why. I can't give you the answers, but I can help you. I'm sorry, mistress. He's closer than you think...,' Werex said to me, and I raised my eyebrows. What did she mean by that?_

_I looked up and stopped._

_End POV_

The girl stopped in her tracks, letting her surroundings soak in ever so quickly, yet in a shockingly wave of fear. Her black pupil and green iris set upon the figure standing not too close from her, probably unaware that her presence even existed for the time being. The blue, melted sight of the sea whistled almost silently around her, as her eyes fixed attentively still on the cold-hearted phoenix she thought once did have a heart of gold; only to be disappointed, held-back from the real him now that she thought she had him all figured out.

Kai was leant over the side of the ferry, his arms resting on the surface of the sides of the ship, watching out at the fish-filled ocean on one of the most iciest days of the year. 'It's freezing. Isn't he cold?' She wondered, taking one tiny step forward. Finally, the sight of seeing him alone again sank into her body, and she accepted it thoroughly. She didn't want a repeat of last night. And she was going to make sure this was fixed. Now. She hated the tension more than anything. 'Well.. not as much as Black Pele..'

She looked around, finding that she had wandered to the very back of the ferry, where not alot of people usually came and sat. No wonder Kai had chosen this place to hang around, there was no one in sight. 'Maybe he wants to be alone.' The green-eyed unsure girl shook her head, keeping her breathing as low and even as she possibly could, despite her heat beginning to race, unsteadying her breaths. Fern wasn't going to let him know of her presence just yet; she needed to make sure she had the right words stuck in her head.

'Talk to him, Miss Fern. It's the only way,' Werex urged her, and as quickly as she assured Fern, the faster she left her mind, so she could work it out for herself without pressure from her bit-beast. Fern nodded to herself. She understood and knew Werex's words were right. It was the only way to make things right between them. Slowly, steadily, trying to leave all of that nerve and hesitation behind, Fern began to move forward, battling to keep her steps silent as she moved closer, and closer towards him...

Taking a last deep breath, Fern settled beside Kai, suddenly feeling the chill in the air hit her inside nerves, as she awkwardly stood a few yards apart from him, trying to be as casual as she could. A little hesitant, she glanced across at Kai, who still had his eyes fixed on the scenery, without even blinking an eyelid at her. She knew he detected her presence now, which was her purpose, although it didn't help when he didn't once turn to look at her. It just made her feel even more unwanted and nervous. 'May as well get this over with.' She sighed, and tried to relax by resting her two elbows on the low wall that surrounded the entire ship.

At first, the words that she had unprepared, stayed annoyingly wrapped around her tongue. They were dying to slip out, only Fern was having trouble finding the right time. He was silent, treating her as if she wasn't there. Even that hurt. To be thought of as a no body, as if she didn't exist in his world. Not even a whirl of a head, or a glance from his crimson eyes. It infuriated her. He knew she was there, so why keep up a rude and ignorant act and pretend she wasn't? That's what hurt Fern more than ever.

"Kai..." Fern whispered in the wind, her voice almost croaky and forced. "Last night..." She began, avoiding to hurry. She knew that if she did try to get it all out at once, it would once again tangle in her mouth, and she'd end up saying the wrong thing. To her annoyance, he stayed quiet, although from a slight sparkle in his left eye, she knew he had tried to glance at her. Couldn't he even look at her? 'Is he that disgusted at me? That he can't even look at me straight?' A wild flame, of striking wrath burned up in her heart. How dare he ignore her. Here she was, trying to sort something out, and he was throwing it back in her face like she was a waste of space. 'No. This is unacceptable. How dare he.'

"KAI!" Fern screamed, her voice lacking politeness and full of agitation. This time, Kai swung his head slowly to face her, a cold chill set upon his undisturbed face at the sudden shriek. She was relived, finally, she had caught his attention, but still a great turbulence remained in her body. "Don't ignore me! I'm here to sort this out!" She cried, although softer and more organized than before. She stared at Kai's straight face, she saw nothing through him. No guilt, no sadness. Just... a blank picture which made up a face Fern couldn't bare to look in the eye.

She watched him, her heart picking up an uneven speed, as he blinked twice at her, as if she was nothing. "I came here to be alone. Say what you have to say, and be gone," Kai replied sternly, turning back to look out at the ocean. She gaped at him. That's all she got? For trying to fix all of this? She felt humiliated, if not, worse. He just didn't understand what it felt like. Nothing like she had ever felt before. An undescribable battle, was viciously grooming her head and patting her brain with thoughts she had never came across before, the feeling growing and growing every second as she stared at the ignorant face that had her so worked up and boiled over.

'He'll never get it. He doesn't understand what it felt like. He probably never will! It feels like... there's a hole in my heart. That's what it feels like. Like, it can't be repaired. I know to him, it may not be a big deal because he wasn't the one who was left alone but.. I know now, I expected too much from him. Hmmm.. now that I think about it, the reason behind him storming off that night probably wasn't because I tried to make him have more fun. But because he's Kai. I understand now.' Fern gasped to herself. If she had messed with his free-will _that_ much then the kiss probably would have continued on. Now that she looked at it that way, it didn't seem like her attempts to make Kai have fun were too bad. After all, even bad guys have fun, right?

'But... I've never seen such a side to him. A cold, horrible feeling weeps in my head whenever I look at him. He feels like a curse, dare I think it. A cold curse, being left out in the cold so it could blow a hole in my heart. A bullet through my heart. That's what it feels like, Kai. No doubt you've probably experienced this feeling... but it couldn't possibly be as strong as this, and you will never understand. Because Kai... even I don't understand.'

Her thoughts were overflowing, but she had to admit, she didn't care. If she got too far into her thoughts for the upmteenth time, she knew it wouldn't matter, who would that person be to break it? By Kai's attitude, she guessed he was going to let her do most of the talking, anyway. 'He's certainly left me with a lot of thinking to do, too.'

"Kai... I'm sorry, okay?" She forced the words from her lips. "I guess I did get a little carried away. I just wanted to prove that I could make you happier if you really wanted to be. It's just... every time I looked at you, you always looked sad. All I wanted was to see a smile on your face, and I actually thought you had another side to you which was close to being opened if I stepped in, and helped you have genuine fun. I thought it worked.. but I guess not. I get it now, you're cold and that time when you told me you didn't have a heart... I guess, in a way, you don't use your heart enough. So you're partly right. But I know you do have one, Kai. Otherwise you wouldn't exist in this pitiful world."

Kai remained quiet for a few seconds, until his broad voice somehow managed to brighten up her hopes. "You're right. I know I shouldn't have left you alone. Still, I don't know what you thought you were doing." Fern shivered at his deepening annoyed tone, while wincing her eyes at the sharp icey wind. The chill rattled her mouth, freezing her lips and changing their colour to a deep dark purple. The cold was almost unbearable, although she knew that wasn't the main concern in all this.

"Kai! You can't say this is all my fault. You gave me signs, you touched my face, the promise you made me, the little gestures, it was all there, Kai. Did you expect me to just sit back at enjoy the ride? Didn't you expect me to give you something back? I don't know why, Kai, but I had this feeling; I couldn't just believe that's what you didn't want, could I? Then why did you do it?" Fern asked hurriedly, the situation really getting to her.

Kai turned to face her, angry. "I wasn't myself last night. It was my birthday, I had had many surprises in all one day, some of which I could have done without," Kai narrowed his eyes. "I don't like talking about it, but..."

"That's the problem with you, Kai! You don't like talking about anything! Here I am trying my hardest, and you're just.. just..." Fern cried, cutting off towards the end as her words muddled. Her face looked drowned in emotion, even Kai knew she was upset. The guilt was flashing over her face right now, and Kai picked it up straight away like it was second nature to him. He picked up her emotions easily, as he so recently found out.

"I'm just what?" He asked softly, yet sarcastically. Fern remained silent. "See, you don't even know what you're saying. What I was going to say, is that I don't like talking.. or thinking about what happened last night, because I really don't care about it. It meant nothing, I only went along with it because it felt as if you were taking lead. Just to let you know, I don't like being told what to do."

"I didn't tell you to do it, did I? For a split second I felt you kiss back. Explain that one, Kai!" Fern demanded.

"I was confused, I just went along with it. Like when you wanted me to dance... I just went along with it anyway. Did it mean something to you?" He asked, staring curiously down at Fern.

She hesitated. Even she didn't know what it meant, but all she knew was, it had hurt. Badly. After a 2 second think, Fern spoke in a more relaxed and a disorientated tone. "No, Kai. We were both hyperactive and excited, I guess it was just one of those things that get carried away," She gulped. "Can't we just... forget it?" She looked up at Kai hopefully, finally seeing a little emotion spread across his face and twinkling brightly in his eyes. It was almost as if he was giving her a friendly and happy stare.

"Fine. It's forgotten, let's never talk about it again. It's over and done with," Kai said, turning his head forward again, enjoying the cold breeze as it hit his face. Fern couldn't help but let a small smile slip through at the corner of her lips. She had hated the tension, now, just hopefully, by Kai's assuring words, there wouldn't be any more of that. "Just so you know, you are nothing more to me than a girl. I guess I could call you a team mate. But let's just make it clear, that you don't surpass Ray or Tyson or any of the others. I like everyone equally."

"Hmmm. Are you going soft?" Fern joked, suddenly feeling a hundred times better. She caught Kai smile slightly, a handsome pink curve that brought a bright light to her heart. Still, she knew something was missing. The hole wasn't healing.

"I'm just _understanding_, that's all," Kai faintly joked back.

Fern smiled, as the two teens stared out in to the endless ocean. 'It's all going to be okay now. I hope... Hmmm.' Now that she thought about it, this was very different from Black Pele controlling her mind. She knew now, that nothing could control Kai. Nothing. And that was a big difference. 'Kai can fight my attempts to make him smile. But, I can't fight Black Pele's attempts to make me do evil. I need help. And he doesn't. So... there is a difference...' She continued to smile, trying to suppess it from curving away. 'So, looks like I'll just have to try harder next time. Making Kai smile is kind of fun. I think I understand. There's no harm in getting a cold person to smile and have fun. But... there is harm when something evil is trying to force you to commit an undue deed.'

The red head's smile suddenly slipped away, a brush of grey light spreading in her dull and saddened eyes. For some reason, her happiness and joy of making up with Kai didn't last long. There was something else... it just didn't feel right. Even though she felt she could talk to him now without living in tension, there was still a darkened spot in her heart. A disheartened feeling, full of hurt... The bullet had yet to be pulled out, and her heart had yet to be mended.


	19. Lights, Camera, LET IT RIP!

**ANJ: Yay/Huggles everyone who reviewed/ This chappie is dedicated to... EVERYONE! (Just 'cos you all rock my socks) Oh yes... I _assure_ you this chapter is better than the last. Hehe... no big author's note either this time/Proud/ woot. Oh, and disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade /cries/ and I don't own Charlie's Angels either(Just to be safe). Urgh... No matter how hard I try, I just can't write short chapters. I'm sorry. I used to be able to do it. ¬.¬U This is probably the longest chapter so far. I think it's worth reading though.****

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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Chapter 19- Lights, Camera, LET IT RIP!

The motion and voices set before the determined Bladebreakers, seemed as though the size they had once doubted turned up to backfire them, which was definitely not what they assumed. Almost every square meter of the Long Island Harbour, was taken by the feet of the endless counts of people, precisely fans, if they even dared to see it that way. A lot of fans meant... a lot of attention.

A huge ruckus, like a hive swarmed with millions of bees, constantly buzzing and moving around was how it seemed. And it was then, that they all agreed on one thing; something Kai usually kept absent from his mind, yet it was true- Mr Dickenson was right, and he should of been taken more seriously.

Hundreds, possibly at least a thousand, excited and delirious fans were set upon miles of their sight, the air filled with constant chattering and laughing, and crying, and shouting, and every other emotion that you could possibly feel, when knowing you _might_ meet the Bladebreakers, and of course, to be one of the first people to enter the new stadium.

Max's eyes still remained as wide as when he first set sight on the terrible number of the crowd; his blue eyes only adjusting with concern and reflected nerves gripping his pupil. "Euston... we have a problem."

"Eh heh heh... What do we do?" Kenny rattled quietly, keeping his voice low in the over-large crowd. They had already departed from the ship, and were stood watching over the gathering of aroused beings. They had not yet left the harbour, and already an unbelievable number of people had showed up. Between the high skyscrapers in the short distance, it looked liked the streets were clogged with fans also, which only made it harder for them to reach the stadium. They had heard that the stadium was hidden in an open area, but was hidden by the skyscrapers. Although, knowing this didn't make things any simpler.

The crowd was full of shouting and screaming girls, some dancing wildly with thrill and joy. Although, it wasn't all girls. Boys, women, men, even little kids had turned up to view the sights of the new stadium. To Kai's dismay, the first thing he had noticed was the high figure of tributes that were being held to him; There was numerous huge signs, held by girls, with bad-quality photos of himself sellotaped on, with a servile bright red heart bordering the photo. And, the one he had taken a most unwanted note to was one that proclaimed; 'Kai For All'. Knowing the meaning of this, he didn't hesitate to keep his distance from those girls by all means.

"Hmm... we need to get to the stadium! It's just a few blocks from here, I think." Fern informed, even she was stunned by the amount of people that had turned up.

"Hn. Where are the White Tigers? Perhaps if we walked with them.. it might not be as bad..." Kai said. "We might not get as much bother then."

"I don't really understand. What's so bad about walking past fans?" Asked Fern, as she stood close by to a pile of fishing nets. Her nose caught the smell of fish and seaweed, and probably a lot more nasty sea smells that she was unaware of even existed. She twitched her nose as the strong smell ran through it, reaching her mouth and clogging it from fresh air. She let out a quiet cough, trying to grasp the air as much as her throat would allow it. 'Stupid fish!'

"You're missing the point. They're not just fans... but Fan-Girls," Max explained.

"But don't get me wrong, I like them..."Ray admitted, blushing faintly. "But... then again, they are just fans, even guys are out there. It's just, with this many, we'll get stopped and asked questions and we can't be doing with that right now. And besides... there's too many."

"Doesn't bother me. Can't we just go?" Tyson smirked. He really didn't see the problem, as long as fan girls were involved. Yet, he knew there were boys who could be just as bad.

Kai sighed, wandering his wary eye back on to the signs that held a specific part of him, dedicated to their beloved blue phoenix. There was one that wrote 'Kai', in red letters with hearts and glitter sprinkled around the name. Noticing Kai in a state of caution, Ray took pleasure in this, surprised that it could affect Kai in such a way. But, the Neko-Jin knew Kai well enough to know he was always composed about these things. It was more of a reputation thing for Kai that he was more concerned about.

"Tyson, just shut up. We're going now, all right?" Kai instructed. The captain began to move reluctantly, keeping his arms tightly glued to his heavy chest, as he was suddenly exposed to hundreds of hyperactive fans.

Kai's scarf swift freely behind him, the frosty air rustling the teen's blue hair as his pace became normal and undisturbed. He kept his cool, walking silently across the boarded harbour, his feet crunching against the slippery snow as his body remained in a fragile position. His arms folded, eyes closed, he portrayed a sensible and calm figure, yet something told the fans he hadn't a care in the world. So mysterious, so dark, the girls went wild once they joyfully noticed Kai's frame in their sight. Tyson, Kenny, Ray and Max were walking encouragingly behind Kai, their arms moving with the beat of Kai's footsteps, that were much more heavier than theirs. Fern happily skipped behind them, knowing she had no worry with fan girls.

Ignoring the shouts for Kai, even Ray and Max were getting their share of cries and blow kisses being sent at them. Max kept a happy face plastered against his features, and waved to his fans with great enthusiasm. Ray did the same, watching the amused faces of the fan girls. Their mouths were dropped, their eyes were big and huge, and almost looked hungry for a piece of the Bladebreakers.

"Isn't Kai just the hottest?" A girl's voice called from the disrupted audience, and Fern smirked at this. Kai kept his face firm, unmolested and in place, like a wax work dummy; though the thought of a moving wax work scared Fern out of her wits.

Tyson was enjoying the attention, as girls began to form around him and demanded enhancer as they flipped their hair to the side and put on their best sweet smiles. He stopped momentarily, taking his time to show off in front of the girls by pulling his best cheesy smile. Fern glanced back when she noticed he had pulled behind, and couldn't help but grin when she saw him flirting with fans.

He suddenly noticed his team were miles ahead of him, and tried to pull away from the circle of girls that had crowded him. "Heh heh... I gotta go, sorry!" Tyson smirked, then leapt out from the circle, ignoring the moans and cries of 'Tyson', and escaped the girls as he ran towards his team to catch up with them. He managed to surpass Kai, keeping up a fast pace as the team entered the city, and wandered down the narrow streets between the stretched buildings, still swarmed with fans and unceasing noise that seemed to last forever.

Trailing through the crowd, Kai finally stopped once he saw Tyson had pulled back in front of him, positioned in fascination as he stood gazing around the street corner. Kai opening his eyes incompletely half-way, inquisitive about the stopped teen. It wasn't until a few moments after Kai opened his eyes fully, and stepped beside Tyson, it finally coming to his attention that they had made it.

"Ray..." Fern managed, joining Kai's side.

"...Yeah?" Ray gazed.

"It's _big,_" She gaped.

Okay, so they knew it was going to be big. From the very start the new stadium had been described as one of the biggest event stadiums in the whole world and what Mr Dickenson had previously called 'A new advance in architectural technology, a real treat for the eyes.' Well, that seemed like an understatement. A large-scaled, brightly prominent rounded base stood in the spotlight of the sleek, light falling snow, of tremendous wickedly size, the shining metal casting a natural conspicuous glow over the amazed eyes that out-stared the stars. With great stupefaction, their eyes failed to pull away, refusing the cooperate with their brains that urged them to move.

It was, possibly, as high as the skyscrapers in Manhattan, having an out of the ordinary height and an extremely impressive structure. The full cover of the stadium was hard steel metal, burning off a sharp, clear silver gaze, creating a cold reflection in the sleek, unfriendly air, the shine illuminating in their aghast eyes. It was the form of any other stadium, with a few exceptions. A huge ring was wrapped around the centre of the stadium, almost hanging in mid-air, which there above, small windows were scattered all around the rim of the circle.

It was truly out of this world, probably the next big eminent, if not already. It's alien spaceship-like features were what amazed them the most; for a split second, even Kai wondered if this was a bizarre invasion of little green men that had come down to Earth to find peace. He smirked away that thought, allowing his crimson eyes treatment access to gaze at the stadium some more.

Finally letting out a sucked-in breath, Tyson sighed in delight as he was magically pulled away from the new stadium, and cast his glance on his team, who were still stood manically staring. "Wow. What do you think, guys?"

Fern, was almost speechless. Her eyes willingly continued to engross the futuristic display, just managing to find her breath to reply to Tyson. "It's... beyond amazing." Her green eyes were still blissful with the sight, more than satisfied of it's appearance. Before, she did expect it to be somewhat spectacular, but not as... _obsolete_ as this.

Even fans were stood around drooling over the display, and as more and more fans came and stood around that corner, the more bodies that stopped and stared at the visual for so long. The area was enormous, although was well hidden between the sky-scrapers, probably opposed this way for additional impression on the audience. If built clearly in sight, there was no doubt people would take one look at it from a distance, then expect the same thing when up close. This way, it really gave them something to think about.

"Whoa... I've never seen anything quite like this!... I... WOW! It's awesome!" Max chirped brightly, struggling to even get his words out.

Circling the whole stadium on the ground, was a large gate barrier, where people were stood hovering over, taking pictures of the stadium and awaiting access to it. Behind the barrier in the grounds of the stadium, was a bright yellow BBA bus, and noticing this, Kai knew they had to get to the stadium fast before they got lost between the huddles of people that were constantly piling up behind the barrier. "Hey, we gotta go before the crowd gets any bigger. Come on."

Everyone nodded, and followed Kai down the street leading to the stadium, trudging down as fast as they could without having to run; otherwise they might just have to risk slipping on the ice. They stopped behind a crowd of people being held back by the barrier, but by the look of things, it didn't look like the barrier was going to last long anyway. The force of people was probably too much for it, with the constant pushing and gripping as they longed for entrance.

Close to the BBA bus, was a whole bunch of journalists and a couple of cameramen, already recording the sights of the stadium and preferably the fans, and it didn't take much for Kai to work out that they were probably looking out for famous bladers.

"Now what?" Asked Ray, struggling to see past the hordes of people that were perpetually occurring. A slight clasp on his shoulder urged him to turn around, at first expecting it to be a fan. To his surprise, he stood face-to-face with a familiar pink-haired girl, gleaming her cat-like features at him with a toothy grin and sharp, golden eyes.

"Mariah!" Ray exclaimed, gripping on to the Neko's shoulder in return. It was then he also noticed Lee, Gary, Kevin and Hilary stood smiling at the team with their faces drowned in happiness.

"Hey guys!" Max smiled, after turning around with hearing Ray's announcement. The rest of the Bladebreakers let their eyes slip on to the White Tigers and Hilary, smiling happily, only, Kai gave Hilary a quick friendly glare before returning back to his usual cold state.

"It sure is a sight, huh?" Lee smiled, his voice turning off towards the end as his sights set back on to the stadium.

"Oh yeah," Tyson agreed. "It looks amazing."

"Hey Fern!" Hilary cheeped happily, letting a smile curve at the corner of her lips. Fern threw her eyes shut in delight.

"Hi Hilary," Fern smiled back, then turned her head towards Mariah. "Hey Mariah!" For a few seconds, the Neko stared at Fern in puzzlement. She had to admit, ever since she set eyes on Fern, there was something about her that she didn't understand. She couldn't quite work it out, but she guessed it was just probably because she was kind of different; even though she couldn't figure out how. For some reason, from then on, she had a feeling she had doubted Fern a little. She had come across her as a little weird, although she knew that wasn't a bad thing. Fern was friendly, and from what she saw at Kai's party last night, she was a pretty cool person. Yet, there was something else. It was almost as if a strange fragrance, or glow was coming from her, but not noticeable of course. Something different... and using her nose and feline features, Mariah tried pick it up further.

She noticed Fern's confused face, Mariah guessed was because she had been staring at her for some time. Quickly perking up, Mariah let a bright grin slip through her lips. "Hey Fern, glad to see you again!"

"Urgh, I wish the tour would just start already," Hilary moaned, as a group of girls pushed past her with a camera in their hands, trying to get a good picture of the stadium. "Gee, it's nothing _that_ special. I mean sure, it's nice, but all that this is going to be used for is the arena and battling it out."

Tyson shook his head. "Yeah, well I should have known better thinking someone like you would be interested, anyway. Mr Dickenson said there's lots of new surprises this time. What does that tell you, huh?"

"Well I assure you whatever way you look at it, it's still going to be the same," Hilary barked insistently. Lee sighed, pulling a wary grin to their opposing team.

"Considering all these streets around here were blocked off until now to avoid people seeing the stadium before it officially opened, was probably intended so the surprise of it could be expressed more; I mean, if you've already seen it once, it won't be as cool next time, right? I guess even though this is the first time Hilary has seen it, there's no chance she'll change her mind about it the second time," Mariah laughed. "But you know Hilary, I bet these certain new facilities are gonna be unforgettable! I heard there's a cafeteria!"

"Wait a sec- the streets have been blocked off? So you mean no one has seen the stadium until _now? _That explains the size of the crowd then," Kenny concluded, with Dizzi wrapped underneath his arm.

"Cafeteria! Oh boy! I knew about that one, anyway. But there's more new facilities?" Tyson cried, jumping closer to Mariah in interest.

Mariah nodded her fuzzy pink head. "Sure, isn't it so exciting? I can't wait to see!" Her yellow eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, you do have advanced tickets right? If you don't, then you only get to see the battle arena. Not that that matters anyway, you'll see it all on Friday"

"Yeah! Kai's keeping a hold of them," Ray explained.

"Wow, I can't wait! We can spend the night together too-"

Kai suddenly cut Mariah off, much to the disappointment of the rest of the Bladebreakers. "I can see Mr Dickenson now. There's a woman about to make an announcement." Tyson bent his two knees and leapt in to the air repeatedly, until he saw Mr Dickenson and a woman with a microphone in her hands behind the barrier. He turned back to Mariah.

"Hey, Mariah? What did you mean when you said spending the night tog..," Tyson was stopped by Kai when he grabbed his arm, much to his annoyance.

"Shut up, the woman is about to speak. She might say something vital we need to know!" Kai snapped, Tyson immediately breaking lose from his hand. Before he could argue back, she had already started talking. Suddenly the whole crowd fell silent.

A loud, echoed voice appeared in the snowy air, reaching out as far as harbour. Being fairly close, the Bladebreakers and White Tigers absorbed the sound of the lady's audible voice. "Welcome fans and teams, to the new advance in architectural technology, as you can see, your eyes will fail to apprehend with your actions if you try to look away. I'm sure each and every one of you know this stadium is new to Long Island, and therefore as a member of the BBA, I strongly recommend you take your time to look around and don't waste time talking. Not that I'm stopping you, but this is a one in a million chance." The woman smiled, and continued her speech. "Well, why don't we just get on with it? The first 200 people will be allowed in once our tour guides are sorted. You will be shown around by a certain tour guide, but please bear in mind that you must respect them for their duties. No wandering off, please."

"Pff, I seriously hope we get a little freedom," Tyson groaned.

"Now, people with advanced tickets will be split in to two groups," The woman's voice was suddenly cut off, and stopped momentarily. From what Kai could see, Mr Dickenson had just notified her of something. "All right, each group will be split up with 53 in each. It just works out perfectly, thank goodness. Mr. Stephens and Mr. Francesco will be the two guides that will handle a group each. So, could everyone with an advanced ticket please step forward now and show your tickets to the ticketman at the front, and the barrier will we raised for you."

Fern found her thoughts wandering on to the Blade Warriors. She hadn't seen them so far, but what she feared the most, was the thought of them being placed in their tour group. She was definitely one to feel the strain, after all. Her shamefaced eyes drew immediately back on to her team, avoiding any clear indication for the others that she was guilty of something. Her green eyes caught Kai, and immediately last night rubbed back in to her muddled head. 'No Fern! Just forget about that! I can't slip up again! We've made up now so it doesn't matter...' She assured herself, though convincing herself wasn't exactly easy.

"Right, let's move," Kai ordered, then lead the way through the tangled crowd, not even bothering to say 'excuse me' or 'thank you', he just simply rushed through without even shrinking his face in a pathetic form of nerves. It wasn't so much a barge past the fans, though it wasn't a friendly push either. His ears caught the moaning voice of Tyson, grieving about something or another which didn't surprise Kai any more.

"You would have least thought we'd get to travel in a BBA bus, rather than joining the public like this. If Mr Dickenson was that bothered about publicity, then why did he let us ride on a _public_ ship?" Tyson moaned, following Kai through the humongous crowd, preceding before the rest of his team mates, including the White Tigers, but kept well behind his captain. A sudden outburst of gasps and screams came fourth from the fans as most of them noticed the famous bladers dawdling through the crowd, trying to reach the front. It seemed Kai was clearing the path way ahead of them, taking the easy route by simple walking straight ahead and letting the fans move out of the way for them.

Tyson stayed close to Kai, accurately following Kai's trail of path as he waved cheerfully and put on his best smile. Fern smirked, actually rather pleased that she wasn't an official Bladebreaker. She knew now that being a famous blader was hard; looking at the size of the crowd, it seemed being one gave you plenty of admirers, but she wasn't one to like much attention. She was just pleased that she wasn't a boy, otherwise she might have possibly received a little female attention.

"Hey-Hey! Who's that?" A boy, stood frighteningly staring at Fern, nudged his friend and pointed at her, causing most of the male crowd to stare at the new, unknown blader. Fern's heart immediately flipped, her eyes widening in a stretch of surprise. The thought of scary fan boys actually noticing her made her wary.

"What's your name? You're cute," A voice shouted from the crowd, the bladers knowing it was directed at Fern. She became more and more leery, and tried to bury her face in the neck of Tyson's jacket.

She almost died with embarrassment once she heard a loud upbeat wolf whistle from the fans, digging her head further and further in to Tyson's jacket as he laughed madly. "This is what you have to encounter if you become one of the team," He smirked, allowing her to hide her face in his jacket anyway. It was worse when she hadn't anticipated it, but she felt that awkwardness and flush of embarrassment drain in to her like water and a plug.

"Is she a new member? YAY!" Another voice corrupted her mind, as she continued to drown her head in Tyson's red jacket that was becoming suspiciously familiar to the colour of Fern's face.

"Which one does she go out with?" After hearing that last voice, Fern's head immediately shot up, and pulled the most sceptical look you could possibly imagine. Her green eyes crossed, and her mouth line shifted to one side as she gazed unknowingly around her, finding that most of the attention was cast on to her; Totally against her will.

The giggling sound of her friends filled the air, rather amused that the fans even noticed that she was apart of the team, and not another fan girl. Well, that probably wasn't very hard to figure out; After all, she wasn't showing any indication of being a fan girl, like shouting for joy even though she was preferably close to them.

Finally, much to her relief, their journey through the crowd finished as they reached the front, but they were still being kept away from the stadium due to the barrier. A lanky man smiled and greeted them, holding out his hand. "Advanced ticket holders?"

Kai nodded gratefully, handing over the six tickets for his team. The old, gangly man kept his graceful smile plastered on his face, as he stamped the tickets with red ink, then handed them back over to Kai. He stepped aside and opened the entrance gate which led in to the grounds of the stadium. Kai gave the man a quick nod in thanks, and stepped through, becoming in the sight of thousands crazy fans, as they watched their favourite team join Mr Dickenson and the rest of the advanced ticket holders, gladly excited for the tour to begin.

"Okay, guys," The spokeswoman began to talk again. "I didn't expect this at first; and even now, I still can't believe it! Guess who's turned up at the tour today, huh? IT'S THE BLADEBREAKERS!"

The crowd exploded in to a spontaneous roar of screams, fulminating the busy air with cries of happiness and privilege, while the Bladebreakers watched on in amusement, and even Kai was moved by the amount of people who seemed to look up to them. A few seconds was spent listening to the outbreak of voices, as they waited patiently for them to settle and for the noise to die down a little.

Smiles were spread almost victoriously on the Bladebreaker's faces, clearly enjoying the attention and cheers. Eventually the crowd settled down, although there was still loud cries of enjoyment rustled somewhere in there. Mr Dickenson walked up to them, with a smile of pleasure and fortune brightening his features. He quickly glanced behind him, feeling the presence of something unwanted; a camera, capturing the Bladebreakers and the White Tigers on film. He sighed, but there was no way he could stop them from doing their job.

Tyson, noticing the camera, smiled cheekily and stuck up his two fingers in a peace fashion. "Heh heh, Hey! I hope you're all watching this!" Kai rolled his eyes at Tyson's pathetic fame attempts, and lightly tugged on the teen's arm, signifying him to follow, walking off away from the camera. Tyson frowned, and ignored the captain for the time being.

"Okay, I've just heard all 106 tickets have been collected. We will now be splitting the groups up in to two. Not long left to wait, folks!" The woman announced in to the mike. Fern kept a steady look-out for a certain group of ruthless crooks; it made her on guard and watchful knowing that they were somewhere here, amongst the crowd.

The fans were split in to two groups quickly, as the woman had said before, with 53 in each. Thankfully, The Bladebreakers made it in to a group with the White Tigers, to Fern's joy. She really wanted to get to know Hilary and Mariah more, in fact, all the members of the White Tigers. She found it absolutely fascinating that they all had pointy teeth. Even their tour guide, Mr. Francesco had rather strange, noticeable pointy teeth, although he wasn't a Neko-Jin. He had scruffy, dark grey hair, and bright blue eyes. He wasn't particularly old, although he had to be at least 35. With no more time wasting, Mr. Francesco led his tour group towards the handsome, broad stadium glass doors, with closely following behind a large group of exciting youths.

Tyson gripped on to Max's shoulder. "Oh dude! This is unreal! It's like a dream!" He shivered in sensation. This moment for him and the others, was a true ultimate hair-raiser and definitely one to remember. Their fingers shivered, their eyes latched on to the wide double-doors of the stadium, while their feet longed for exposure to the soft flooring that nested behind those great two doors...

"Someone pinch me!" Max cried. Tyson nodded, and grabbed hold of Max's arm skin between his two fingers and nipped him with a harsh thrust in his fingers. The blonde jumped in surprise and fanned Tyson's hand away.

"Tyson!" He complained.

"At least you know you're not dreaming," He laughed increasingly, continuing to follow the crowd, half of it already inside the stadium, as the door was held open by their tour guide. He hurriedly skipped past Mr. Francesco, unable to control his urge for the interior of the stadium.

Immediately after stepping inside, a strong thrill of warmth hit their bodies, drying up their cold icy feet in to a friendly heat that reached their very core. Everyone's eyes soaked in the visual image of the stadium, their eyes becoming bright and watchful as they darted around the little space that they had been exposed to. At first step inside, it was a small area, with a light blue back wall almost directly in front of them. The wall curved around, creating a long curved corridor, leading to the left and right.

"Okay, to the left is the left wing. And, to the right, is of course, the right wing. I think from here if we go to the left, and the other group goes to the right, then we can swap later," Mr Francesco suggested, receiving a nod from Mr. Stephens, the tour guide for the other group. "Okay then, let's go!" They were led down the circular corridor to the left, and continued to walk as they stared around, amazed by the simple sight that was set before their eyes. The opposite wall was one whole glass window, where millions of fans could be seen cheering. Even though the scenery wasn't particularly interesting at the moment, their eyes still didn't fail to be amazed. Finally, after some walking around the circular base, they came to a set of at least more than a double of dozen doors, all spread across the blue wall that circled the corridor. Mr Francesco stopped in front of a door, smiling perspicacity.

"All 25 doors around this area belong to the fans who managed to grab themselves advanced tickets," He explained.

Tyson shot his hand up in to the air. "Hey! What do you mean?"

This only made Mr. Francesco smile wider. "Well, let me show you. Take a room to have a look in. Everyone." Almost directly afterwards, each and every person ran towards a door, flinging themselves inside, even though most of them knew what their tour guide was actually talking about. The Bladebreakers took a single room for all of them to look in, Tyson excitedly pushing open the door.

They all stepped inside, staring around at the environment they had ended up in. A fairly average sized room, and surprisingly spacious, was packed with two large beds, the covers matching the bright walls and carpet. There was even a small sofa, it was just like a tiny little cottage, except it was only one room without any windows. Although, it was extremely wealthy-looking and had most modern furniture inside. Tyson moved further in to the room, patting his hand on the freshly-made bed. "Whoa! Check out this place! It's almost as good as the hotel!"

"Yeah, it's pretty," Fern smiled, glancing around her.

"Hmmmm... but why is this here? I don't understand," Ray said.

"Haha, then let me explain," Everyone spun around, seeing Mr. Francesco emerging in to the room with a smile drilled on to his face. "Everyone with an advanced ticket don't just get to see the whole stadium. They get the privilege to stay over too and have rest if they need it. It's a new addition, for this tournament, as well as future ones. Why do you think this stadium cost over billions of dollars to be built, eh?"

"What? You mean the final runs over night?" Asked Max, puzzled. The tour guide nodded.

"Yeah, it does. But I'm not the person to tell you that. It was supposed to be a surprise for you guys, therefore another reason for you to wait until Friday until you came here," He said, leaning against the door frame. "But you won't be staying with the fans. You'll have your own private room."

"Whoa, so it's like a two in one stadium and hotel?" Max asked.

Mr. Francesco smiled. "If you want to see it that way, then please do. It's more of a new generation for stadiums. But then again I think this will stay unique and for the time being and the BBA won't build any more for a while."

"What? Argh! Why is everything a secret from us!" Tyson exclaimed, clenching his fists.

Mr. Francesco shook his head. "I've already told you. You guys weren't meant to be at this tour, it's for fans only, not competitors. I dunno how you persuaded Mr Dickenson in to letting you, but whatever you said, it worked wonders. And before you ask, the Blade Warriors aren't really meant to be here either. They must have been convincing too. Anyway, I suppose it was time to give you bunch something to look forward to. And of course, the fans. The whole thing was meant to be a big surprise. After all, beyblade is just full of surprises. Why not follow the trend and construct a surprising new stadium?."

"But the advanced ticket fans must have already knew they were staying over?" Tyson asked.

"Yeah, they did, but they've only seen their rooms until now. The surprise was mainly meant to be for the competitors, especially you guys. After all, you've done lots for the BBA and you've foiled world organization plans, right?"

Fern shook her head violently. "Excuse me? World organization? What do you mean?" Each Bladebreaker smirked and shared glances, then set their eye sight cheekily back on to her. She raised an eyebrow. "...What?" Tyson smirked and put an arm around Fern, leading her out of the room.

"Let me tell you a story... before your time.." Tyson began.

"Uhhh... Tyson, we've been alive for about the same amount of time," Fern pointed out, tilting her head sideways.

Tyson scratched his head. "Yeah... I meant your time as a Bladebreaker," He smirked. Everyone followed them out of the room, as Tyson began to explain to Fern about their past, but had no luck once the whole group was crowded around again and Mr. Francesco began to speak.

"Okay, just so you know, there's 25 more guest rooms along the right wing, too. Well, how about we check out the competitors rooms? There's two rooms, one located here in the left wing, and one in the right wing. Of course, there is a reason behind this. And that is simply because both teams will be making an entrance in to the battle arena from different sides," He explained.

Tyson listened carefully, as his eyes wandered around again, observing the fans. Unexpectedly, his brown eyes caught a set of light purple eyes, and dashing long, blonde hair. Feeling his heart suddenly speed, the girl glanced at him, feeling his watchful eye on her. 'It's her! It's her! That waitress!' He beamed, not wasting any time to smarten up and slap on one of his best smiles. To his delight, she smiled back, just as the crowd began to move again.

"Okay, follow me," Mr Francesco said, as he led the way down numerous confusing corridors. Tyson kept his eye on her, making sure he didn't lose sight of her. The blonde was walking pretty much in front of him, keeping up a game of smiling as she kept turning around, releasing that heavenly scent that Tyson couldn't resist. Rubbing his hands together, he moved forward next to her, only for her to pull back and walk side-by-side with Kai.

Tyson spun around and was suddenly taken back, to see the pretty purple-eyed stunner trying to grab Kai's attention.

"Hello, Kai," She sang sweetly, and winked confidently at him. "My name's Violet. It's a pleasure."

Tyson felt a vain pop in his head, a strong wave of jealously bubbling up over his hot, green skin in total envy. Clenching his fists, his threw a deadly scowl at Kai, who was simply walking undisturbed in his usual pose, totally ignoring the blonde's efforts. She trailed along next to him, expecting something back. 'Urgh! Damn that Kai!" He cursed.

Unlike Tyson, Mariah, Hilary and Fern were getting along rather well, and were skipping happily down the corridor, bubbling with enjoyment and elation as their pretty, silky hair jumped up and down with their motion. The pink Neko decided that Fern was actually okay; and at times, she wasn't just representing a weird girl, but she had grown quickly to realize Fern was just like them. Hyperactive, cute, annoying... just like any other girl. Hilary had bonded quickly with Fern too, faster than Mariah even. Though, they were very different. They both had different tendencies, although there was a short link that seemed to draw them closer and closer the more they talked; probably because of the fact they were different, made them more interesting to each other.

"Ah! Fern! It seems you have some fans of your own, then. Those boys back there had you blushing beet red!" Mariah laughed, her pink hair flailing and swinging from side to side as she walked beside Fern.

"I didn't expect it! I've never had so much attention before. It's just so scary!" The shewolf exclaimed, swaying a hand on to her forehead. Hilary laughed.

"Well, I don't blame them really. You have appealing eyes," Hilary smiled, staring in to Fern's eyes as the red-head looked at her with an unforeseen gaze. "In fact..." Hilary moved closer to Fern's face, examining them carefully. "They're strange. Green... but... there's a sparkle of red. It matches your hair colour. Do you wear contacts?"

Fern smirked as Hilary pulled away. "No, no. It's just natural I guess."

"Well," Mariah began, the two girls now facing her as she began to speak. "Even if they are weird, they're pretty cool." She stopped for a second, thinking hard. "Boys... they really infuriate me. I've never been treated badly by one, but some of them are absolute pigs! All they do is eat, sleep and beyblade. I mean there's more to life than just that right? But don't get me wrong, I like beyblade."

"Yeah! You're right Mariah! At first I was SO annoyed with all this talk about the uhmm... bit thingys and the beyblades that I thought I was going to explode! All they talked about was beyblade this, beyblade that, it drove me crazy! But you know..." Hilary sighed. "I grew to like it. I even miss being part of the team."

"Then why don't you join again?" Fern asked, caressing her eyes over the sudden sad-faced brunette. Hilary's eyes flashed a deep brown, looking almost as if a crystal of tears was about to break down her cheeks.

"I'm too busy with school. The reason I left was because I was too tied up with school. I had missed so much of it."

Fern smiled, trying to comfort the girl. "Hey, who needs school, huh?" She said softly, holding Hilary's shoulder with her light fingertips. "At least you get to watch them blade. I'm sure there's always going to be a place for you once you're done with school. How could anyone replace you?" Fern gently let go of her shoulder, letting a thought hit her about the 'her replacing Hilary' situation. Hilary suddenly smiled and perked up.

"Yeah! But hey, who needs boys right? There should be an all girls team!" Hilary laughed.

Mariah agreed, letting the air whip her fist. "Yes! We should be one whole girl team! OH! OH! I've got the perfect name! The cute little angels!"

"More like annoying little devils," The girls heard a deep voice rattle and invade in to their conversation, immediately letting their heads turn around to face the familiar voice. Kai was stood hovering behind them, still in his usual pose, casting a slight, soft glare at the three girls.

Fern smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment." She winked at Kai, totally forgetting about last night as it had already wiped free from her mind. It was just like old times. The way she wanted it. The only way around it was to _forget._

Kai rolled his eyes. "Hn. Girls..." He stated in a mocking tone, forcing his lip line to curve away from the slight smirk that tried to pinch his cheeks in to a wide grin.

"What about girls, Kai?" Hilary asked, smiling at Kai with her sweetest ever puppy-dog eyes. She amusingly watched his eyebrow raise.

"They're so childish," He said glumly.

"Oh? Says you?" Mariah snapped.

"Says me," Kai smirked, having the time of his life trying to wind them up. Fern thought for a second, her green eyes wandering quickly around her as her mind overwhelmed with an interesting idea.

"Says you, huh?" She began, smiling in triumph. "So... are we little annoying devils in general, _or, _little annoying devils to you?" Mariah and Hilary smiled at Kai, as he devoted his eyes to stare at them with an unsure gaze, as he continued to keep his normal pose. Lacking any simple Kai-ish features was abnormal to him, and against his nature. One of the reasons that he had walked away that night...

"How am I supposed to know how other people see you? That question could work both ways," He said.

The group turned yet another corner, until they came to a set of stairs along a sharp, narrow corridor, and immediately they began to climb. "Heh heh..." Fern snickered, sliding her fingers along the banister that settled along side the stair-case. "So are we your little devils Kai?"

Kai raised his eyebrows. Mariah's golden eyes immediately lit up, an idea hitting her head as fast as the strike of lightening. "Eureka! I've got the perfect name!" She exclaimed, biting her bottom lip with her two sharp teeth. "Kai's Angels!"

Fern and Hilary erupted in to a giggling fit, fascinated by Mariah's amusing name. The girls leapt on each other, holding each other for support as the remained in a deep state of giggles. They glanced around to check out Kai, bursting in to louder laughter when they saw Kai's sudden stale face, who had stopped and began staring with his crimson eyes shining ghostly in a mixture of amusement and disruption.

"Don't you dare say those words ever again," He gaped, amazingly finding his voice, but only had just enough saneness to release them from his mouth. With no reply, he stared angrily at the still-giggling girls, tears falling freely down their cheeks, persisting their laugh and beginning to completely cachinnate in to bawls of everlasting cackling. The madness of their laughing had truly hit the ultimate insanity of insane... Kai shook his head, he was even complicating himself with the insanity. He swept his eyes around quickly, expecting to find that by the time he looked at them again, they would have stopped laughing. No such look, instead his gaze just made them laugh even more.

The phoenix sweatdropped, finding it utterly amusing that these girls could laugh for this long and not tire due to the constant exercising of jaws. Soon enough they had caught all of the group's attention, including Mr. Francesco, who was staring ever-so bemused at the girls.

"Uhmmm... if you girls are quite finished, I'd like to continue my tour," He said briefly. He smiled once he saw his words had had an affect on the girls, as they slowly died down and their laugh turned in to a pathetic excuse to hiccup. It took them a good amount of time before they realized where they were, and even though they were thoroughly interested and excited, they still had that little event clasped in their bight minds.

The corridor was much like before, but it was small, and somehow had turned into a small rounded landing, with a couple of doors resting against the wall. "Okay, this is where our finalists will be staying. This be here the Bladebreaker's little private area, where they will be staying." Immediately every 40 odd heads turned and stared at the Bladebreakers. "The Blade Warriors will be staying in the right wing."

Fern's head perked up and finally managed to stay clearly focused on the attention of Mr. Francesco. The Blade Warriors would be staying fairly close by, then. There was nothing she could do about it, but it really did take awkwardness to the max, guiltiness to the limit, and jitterness to the very end. Although, she knew fine well the Blade Warriors and the Bladebreakers didn't get on for peace on earth, but there was still apart of her that feared the thought of the Blade Warriors revealing all to them. _But _then again, that would jeopardize their chances of retrieving their bit-beasts. Still, not if Fern could help it, she _was _going to fight Black Pele. No matter the amount of times she had felt threatened by it, or controlled, she still knew she had power to fight it; because something clearly shone to her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something told her Black Pele did have a weakness. It was almost as if someone was telling her. Her mind just refused to believe Black Pele couldn't be destroyed.

And, she _knew_ it was her duty to find out what it was, and to demolish that vicious bit-beast once and for all. After all, without the Bladebreakers knowing about it, who was to destroy it besides from her? No one. That's why she felt so alone in all this.

"Now, the door to my left is the Bladebreaker's own bathroom-"

"WOAHOHO! Say no more, say no more! Just lemme in already!" Tyson drooled, earning a slight vexation glare from the tour guide.

He ignored Tyson. "Uh. The door to the right is the bedroom, ditto to the door in the centre. Now, I see you're all.. uhh... excited.." He stuttered, seeing the fans staring scarily at the doors like they were about to rip them off and eat them. "...So I think I had better guide you inside, but don't touch anything."

"Is poking aloud?" A sweet voice asked.

"...No. It is not." He sighed, opening the centre door, immediately being swallowed by a flash of fans who raced past him like someone was seriously chasing them. Before he could even stop them, the room was already swimming with hyperactive young people, who just didn't seem like they could control their urge to see the famous Bladebreaker's room.

Being at the back on the cue, the Bladebreakers and the White Tigers didn't even get a chance to view the room. Fans had took over the place, taking up the whole area and stealing the sight of the room from the two team's eyes, as they struggled to actually get a glimpse inside. There was poking, sniffing, stroking, licking, and even touching, what the tour guide had told them precisely not to do, yet they did it anyway just for the chance to touch the room the famous Bladebreakers would be staying in, so they could actually come out and announce to their jealous friends they had been in the room and touched various things from it. Or licked, in some cases.

"Hey! You may as well have made postcards or something for them to send out, saying they've took a step inside _our_ room!" Tyson groaned, emphasizing _our _boldly, just as Mr. Francesco opened the door on the left.

"Here; have a look in. It's pretty much the same as the other one," He smiled, allowing them to step through. The Bladebreakers and the White Tigers wandered inside, instantly becoming dazzled by the room and grasping on to the display with smiles slapped over their faces.

The room was prominent, way more swelled than the fan rooms they had previously experienced. It was eye-opening, more so than most of the rooms they had stayed in before. The floor was covered in laminating floor lining, strong, smooth light pine wood was buttoned to the ground, with a long, fluffy rug setting on top of it. There was a cream sofa, set before the rug and settled opposite was another, against the opposing wall. The walls were white will 3D patterns on, affectively blending in with the rest of the colours the room possessed. Three beds, which were covered in fluffy, soft, smooth and silk cushions were located at the centre wall, looking over the sofas. But what had caught their eyes the most, was a small few steps that led on to a slightly higher platform, that allowed them to glance out of a huge full-wall window and in to the battle arena.

Tyson's eyes almost died at the sight of this. "Oh. My. And I thought it couldn't possibly _get_ any better!" He screamed, running up the few steps and drawing up-close to the window, so close even he breath shadowed across it. He rested his two palms on the window and looked down over the brilliant high view.

"When you said 'private room' I knew it was going to be sweet. But WOA! This is just... the most sweetest thing with extra sugar I've ever seen..." Max squealed, rolling his blue eyes around the room that he took great pleasure in seeing.

"Oh, man!" Ray laughed, almost oblivious to his surroundings. The Neko walked around, taking in the sound of his feet clamping against the smooth, wooden flooring, and enjoying the feeling of the rug as it silenced his now-quiet stepping.

"I'm jealous of you guys!" Kevin said covetously.

Fern smirked. "Me too."

Tyson stopped, and turned around to look at Fern. "Fern? How can you be jealous? You are staying here."

She smiled and shook her head. "But, I'm not a official member, am I?" Hearing this, Kai nodded to himself assentingly. Maybe she was right. The fans nor Mr Dickenson had expected to see her turn up today; because of the fact they had probably never seen her before in their life. What were the chances now that they would come out and except her?

Tyson shook his head, his cap almost falling from his head, though suppressing this as he held it on. "No, you're not. But people need to realize you will be. Hey; you are going to join us, right?"

Her head demanded a good think about this first. She contemplated the problems and spread them in her mind, and profound them in to detail. There was things to consider, many of which the Bladebreakers weren't aware of. Team work, meant honesty. There would be no secrets, no lies, no nothing if she were to join the team for good. There was the Blade Warriors to strongly regard. If she were to let Tyson acknowledge she would be an official member right now, she had to bare in mind there were consequences that had yet to be dealt with. What if she did end up betraying them in some way? She knew she didn't want to, and she certainly couldn't forgive herself if she did; but Black Pele wasn't going to back down from her mind. Also, there was her rare secret to consider. She couldn't hide it from them if they were to become her team mates. And, she missed her old team mates very much. She couldn't bare the thought of losing another team.

Yet, she found herself nodding, and before she could even stop herself, the words had already slipped from her mouth. "Sure! Of course I'll join you!" Tyson smiled momentarily, then suddenly raced down towards Fern, and flung his arms around her body, before the girl could even protest, he had already clasped her tightly in to his hold.

"Alright!" Everyone cried out, excluding Kai, letting known their celebration of having a new team mate. For some reason, Kenny's cry was heard over the others, although nothing was thought about it, as of much.

"Well, I'm happy for you. We must go now, I'm afraid," Mr. Francesco smiled, projected his clear blue eyes on to the delirious teams.

Everyone nodded, and after a struggle trying to release the fans from the private bedroom, the tour was finally back on. The group headed away from the Bladebreaker's rooms, and further in to the left wing which didn't seem to have an ending. The corridors went on and on, almost eternally, as they passed many private rooms that obviously belonged to members of the BBA; restricted rooms, probably bedrooms, and yet more which were unmindful to them. The corridors had many twists and turns, and despite the inner-corridors having a lack of windows, the light seemed to cast from the walls and the shining flooring. It had been well decorated, and Kenny noted it was extremely clever that they had made most of the corridor illuminated with bright walls, with the absence of light from the out-side.

However, the outer-corridors, which they had previously been through, were almost drowned in light from the outside, as the walls were practically made from glass. The corridors seemed to spiral towards the battle arena, but then sprouted out again and back to the outer corridors, which everyone found rather unusual. Yet, taking a glance out of the windows, there were no fans in sight, so the only explanation was, they had pulled away and were half way around the stadium now, at the very back. Although, taking in the sights from outside, there seemed to be a huge lack of people. In fact, it wasn't even street-wise. There was no cars, roads, buildings; instead, it was a bright green area, with moulding winter trees and bushes, an iced-up pond, garden benches, and lots of hiding places, including shrubs and rocks, it almost looked like a place to relax and practise at the same time.

Mr. Francesco stopped the group, and pointed his finger out of the enormous window, though fans were already glancing out in curiosity. "This here is a special training slash walk-around ground for the competitors. The garden is merely a training zone, although I suppose it's their own volition to do whatever they want. They can come here to relax if need be, get fresh air, or even just enjoy the sights. " Tyson smirked. "Fans may access this area, but of course, only when the beybladers aren't practising. Safety regulation and all. Oh, and this garden circles the whole back of the stadium, so it can be accessed from the right wing as well as the left."

"Why can't we go out there now?" A fan asked.

"There's still a lot I want you to see inside, first. Now, there's not much more around here to see, so should we proceed to the right wing?" Mr Francesco suggested, although, it was more of a no-choice question.

Nodding heedlessly, the crowd agreed, their eyes still stuck gazing out of the windows as their bodies turned around to follow their guide back towards the right, and they made their way knowingly back down the corridor which appeared almost conversant to them, even though they had only seen them once.

Hilary, Mariah and Fern walked together, tagging along behind Kai and they laughed and giggled away, sneakily whispering and pondering as they seemed to have made Kai in to a target to joke around with.

"Hey, Kai!" Mariah laughed, whilst Hilary and Fern smiled innocently as the captain spun his head around half-turn and glared at the three teenage girls. "Since we're your angels now, you gotta help us set up our cool beygirl group."

For a split second, Kai actually believed them. Almost immediately, it crossed his mind that Mariah would probably leave the White Tigers, Fern would ditch the Bladebreakers, and Hilary would give up school and process her blading skills, just to join together as one of the most pathetic girl teams, if not, the only pathetic girls team. That thought shrunk away almost suddenly and hit the back of his mind with a thud, examining the cheeky girl's japery smiles. A streak of light shone over their joyful faces, when he realized that they must be joking. "Hn. As if."

Mariah looked almost stunned. "Hey! We're serious! We'd be like a kinda unofficial side-kick team that could help out you guys. As well as my team."

Kai almost looked thoughtful. He raised an eyebrow, Mariah smiling as she spoke on. "You could be our unofficial team captain too. I heard you were training Fern, right? Why not train us? I haven't won a battle in ages, and Hilary... Uhhh... Hilary..."

The brunette glared at the Neko. "I'm the cheerleader."

After hearing this, Kai shook his head without a second thought. "No way." He told them straight. Although, this didn't stop them from giving up. Annoyingly, they began to moan at him and beg him as they walked on, so he decided to ignore them, and settled with them annoying him all throughout the journey to the right wing, or even, the parts that he could actually survive until he got really mad and snapped. "Just get off my back!" He yelled furiously.

"Kai?" The three girl's eyes grew wide, a sense of upset flaring inside their baby-like orbs, grasping the air with their curled fingers, holding their small knuckles close to their make-believe terrified face. He saw that he had caused offence, and sighed, giving up. But... as if he was going to let them win. He was going to put them to the ultimate test.

"So? You think you can handle me as your leader? Let's see then- you have to pass a test. If you pass it, I promise I'll train you all. Do we have an understanding?" He felt his tongue poking at his bottom lip, dying to reach out and serve his lips with a long, wet rivulet like it was an immediate victory. The girls stared at each for a few seconds, then nodded freely with bright smiles caressing their cheeks.

"Oh yeah! So, what's our test?" Fern asked, moulding her eyes on to Kai hopefully. In return, he smiled almost slyly, casting off an independent success, his crimson eyes dripping with inferno fire as they glistened a serious sparkle.

"Your test is to recover a glass beyblade," He smirked, amused by their over-confident attitude. It didn't take him long to think up a witty backfire; It wasn't extreme, yet he found it severely intriguing.

Hilary raised her hand in the air. "All Hail Kai's Angels!" Mariah and Fern giggled, raising their hands in the air and returning the greeting. "We have been assigned to retrieve a glass beyblade for master Kai." She pulled away from her off-putting voice and smirked heavenly at Kai. "This is going to be SO easy. We'll pass this test before you can say 'Angels never fall!'"

"Hn. Well you're about to fall, I'm afraid," Kai replied, lack of enthusiasm in his voice this time. His face was replaced from sneaky to a cold, distant glare, as his face almost possessed awe in the sudden change. He was well aware of this, and it was that very red-haired wolf that had suddenly made him drown in emotion. _That promise... _

A sudden draw back burned within him, steadying his words as his eyes burned a monstrous wave of electric. Even if this wasn't a matter of life and death... a promise is a promise. His surprising antics even surprised himself, but he just couldn't let them lose to them words. He needed something else to work with. "How about, you'll pass the test before you can say 'The best won'."

Slightly sceptical, the girls stared at each other with disorientated glances. Quickly they perked up again, grinning even more feisty and blistering than before. "You're on!" They sang together. For a moment, Fern caught Kai's eyes, her own rising slightly as she caught an unknown emotion slipping by through his eyes. Was he thinking the same as her? She suddenly smiled again, increasingly surprised. She had a hunch. 'So...he's kept to the promise.'

Ultimately, the group eventually reached the two double doors again, Fern suddenly becoming cognizant and aware of this; she was having too much fun with her friends to even notice they were back here already. The fans were still piling up outside, and by the looks of things, more fans were about to enter the doors around the right-hand side of the stadium that led in to the battle arena. The group stopped once Mr. Stephen's group began piling from around the right-wing corner, countlessly rummaging past Mr. Francesco's group in a quick urge to reach the left-wing out of excitement.

Fern's posture suddenly froze, her red, draining blood running dry and cold; Four devilry unmerciful mobs scintillated in her eyes, a sudden dreadful chill running up her needy spine. The team leader, Flint, trailed beside her purposely, his dark brown eyes meeting her green ones; only foul memories cruised in his eyes, deadly, unwillingly, pitiful; It was then Fern realized there was a part of Flint that was unknown. Something dark and challenging. Something unknown. He was becoming closer, so she immediately shunned herself from him, until he grabbed her wrist with his rough hands, and let fall a piece of paper, as dirty as his hands were.

For a few seconds, Fern stood as stiff as a board, cringing at the feel of his hard-clasped hands around her skinny wrist. To her relief, he let go, just as he surpassed her with his team dragging along behind.

Her heartbeat rested gently again, as the group began to move again for the umpteenth time. A crinkled note lay in her hands, her fingers digging in to like it was nothing; although, she couldn't help herself. That note was for her, so she _had_ to look at it... Slowly, she opened her fingers, stretching them to a short extent in order to prevent anyone knowing of it's existence in her hands, and carefully she took a sharp gaze down at the red letters that were written sluggishly.

_Meet in the hills  
__Thursday  
__Six  
__Be there_

The words rested in her eyes, demanding an unnatural entrance to her disbelieving mind. Her green gaze suddenly settled, allowing the words to hit the soft spot in her core. They were only that; just words. They didn't harm her, they didn't encourage her to betray the Bladebreakers. Who said she had to meet them? _Them? _Since when were they the boss of her? Still, even if she didn't turn up for whatever reason they wanted to see her, it clearly showed they had gotten to her mentally; and that would only _encourage_ them. 'I can't let them win.' Fern shook her head lightly, crumpling the paper up and shoving it in her trouser pocket. That's the last thing she wanted. Letting them think she was scared of them. A smile found it's way on to her lips. A buzz, lit her core with great expectation and confidence. 'Yeah. I'm going to hand back Black Pele. I can fight this. And I'll prove it. Just you wait, Blade Warriors.'

The group proceeded to the right wing, and followed the similar corridor around, passing more fan rooms and the private bedroom for the bladers, and they continued on until they reached a set of stairs and a pretty large lift. Kai followed the crowd knowingly, steadying his steps as he suddenly proceeded up the stairs, whilst taking a pleasure in noticing 'Kai's Angels' were falling for his little impossible test. They were unwittingly asking the random fans if they knew or held a 'glass beyblade'. He smirked at this, although letting his eyes roll upwards and to the side of him. Unexpectedly, they caught a set of purple eyes dashingly latching on to his. It was Violet, the girl who had winked at him previously. Receiving another wink, he briskened up his pace.

The day continued regardless, even though after all a while they became unrested, yet they longed to see more of the stadium. They had met with a fully-processed gym, which Kai had some plans for once they had time. Much to Tyson's delight, they learnt of a cafeteria and a kitchen, which they had the choice of admission or not after they checked out the arena, which was their next location.

"After you have had a look around the battle arena, you may go off on your own, but some of the facilities are restricted. You can go to the cafeteria, and you can go and try out the gym if you want. However, the garden is off limits for now as we are all going to look at that later. The fan rooms and private rooms aren't to be entered I'm afraid, although everything else is just fine," Mr. Francesco explained, stopping in front of a large cut in the wall. Everyone agreed and nodded. He pointed at the cut in the wall. "Now, this corridor here is the fan entrance to the battle arena, which leads in to the corridors in which the fans who won't be staying here, will enter from outside. As confusing as it sounds, it's really not that hard to understand."

"Right... can we just go in?" Asked Tyson, resting his elbow against an imaginary stand, his chin in hand. He watched Mr. Francesco sigh, before moving in to the open corridor, and the crowd swiftly but excitedly, followed behind.

Violet stayed irritably close to Kai, almost as if she was waving a red flag in front of his face to gain some attention. He could fell her disappointment when he paced up a little, brushing quickly beside Ray who didn't once notice Kai's problem with escaping this somewhat obsessed fan girl. Instead, Ray took it as a gesture that he wanted to have a chat.

"It's pretty swish, isn't it?" Ray smiled, staring at the charming face of the oblivious phoenix, who didn't seem to care about his looks; yet did he wonder why he was getting so much female attention?

To Ray's pleasant surprise, Kai looked up from the ground, turning his head and facing the golden gaze that was cast over him. "If you want my honest opinion, it was unnecessary to go to all this trouble just to please the fans. All they are bothered about is the battles, but I guess what's done is done. It is useful, though. The gym will come in handy. So will the training zone. I guess it's what we need if we want _perfection_."

Ray laughed inside. Typical. The exact answer he was expecting. He wasn't going to question his judgement, but he didn't let it slip either that he had saw how fascinated Kai was when seeing the stadium. In fact, he'd call anyone crazy not to be astounded by it.

The battle arena soon came in to grasp of their eyes, as they emerged from a corridor deeply situated inside the stadium, suddenly being exposed to a great light that radiated from the bulbs attached around the room, almost as if a stream of fluorescence was blasting from sun rays behind angel clouds in an upcoming sunset. It was most appealing, and had an irresistible warmth that let the clouds of darkness disappear and appear non-existent. Stepping under the charms of warm light, the first feeling they flourished was a natural scent; yet the light was simply zapped from bulbs.

The whole battle arena stood crowded with fans, before their very eyes, all talking and running freely in the much-loved environment. The stands circling the room held an enormous number of seats, all looking new and shiny, matching the silver glimmering walls and the sharp atmosphere the room gave off. The Bladebreakers already felt like they were in the limelight; standing in the battle arena felt like the final was already going on, being surrounded by hundreds of fans in the huge space and being cheered on as they battled. Just the imagination of this happening made them tingle in excitement, even so it was much bigger than they had previously experienced, so it made them possess quite a nerve-racking feeling.

"Well? Are you just all going to stand there?" Mr. Francesco laughed. "Go have a look around!"

The Bladebreakers and the White Tigers stayed together, and immediately found their way over to the stadium set up especially for any bladers to have a go. It was just a simple dish for now, though they guessed once the final took place they'd set up more experienced ones than this.

"Okay, how about we have a go here, then go to the cafeteria. How's that sound?" Tyson smirked, placing his blade on to his launcher, Dragoon thirsting for rip off.

"Oh yeah!" Gary agreed, emulating Tyson as he reached for his own blade.

"How about a nine-way match?" Kai smirked, letting his ripcord slide inside his launcher.

"Yeah!" The boys shouted spiritedly, with Tyson and Max clapping their hands in each other's, continuing with the rest of the bladers.

"Urgh! I'll be thrashed!" Mariah uttered, gaining a glance from the guys. Fern and Hilary joined Mariah's side, backing up her words.

"Yeah! Besides, with have something we need to do!" Fern smirked, taking a second to glance at Kai, he himself noticeably smiling back in utter prospicience. Tyson shrugged and broke the swift glance between the two.

"Fine. Don't get lost though if you go wandering!" Tyson warned, then turned his back on them to start the match he felt so confident about. The girls smiled sweetly, letting out a girlish 'we won't' and headed off away from the boys. Soon they were out of sight, and firstly wandered around the stadium, hopefully in luck to find someone who knew about this 'glass beyblade' Kai was talking about.

With no luck, they decided to search frantically, wandering down the halls, asking strangers, although they were unmindful as to why they were receiving baffled looks, though as stubborn as they were, ignored this and continued their search. Running, skipping, everything was involved, as they practically roamed around almost the whole stadium.

Eventually they gave up, and returned to the battle arena, feeling totally defeated. Kai found it highly amusing that they had returned after an hour, and they were still on another quick search around the battle arena. He laughed hopelessly; the thing that concerned him the most was that they didn't even stop to think if this glass beyblade even had a purpose, or even if it existed.

Meanwhile, Tyson was enjoying the pleasant company of fan girls, as they formed around him to his most lucky surprise. However, he took a great pleasure in knowing that Violet had even settled around him. The lavender-scented female smiled sweetly at him, before it fell in to a quick frown, glancing around her in solitary. "Hey, Tyson... you wouldn't happen to know where Kai is, would you?"

"What?" He fumed, trying to keep his voice firm and relaxed.

"Yeah, please tell us. We want to see him!" Another girl smiled, the crowd gathering around him more until there was about ten fan girls awaiting Tyson to reveal Kai's whereabouts. "We can't see him anywhere!"

Tyson's eye twitched hatefully, picturing that smug Kai in his distant mind, imagining cupid's arrow being poked at Kai annoyingly. 'Why is it always him who gets the girls!' Looking back at the girl's hopeful faces, he knew he couldn't tell them to go away. He sighed, hating himself for this. He pointed toward the stands, his finger travelling on to a blue-haired guy who was stood against the back wall that rimmed the seats, with three girls already buzzing around him.

Kai stood still, listening to the delightful rambles of Hilary, Mariah and Fern, whilst he kept his eyes checked on to them with a slapable smile.

"Kai! We couldn't find a glass beyblade! Please, give us a clue!" Mariah begged, so determined to pass this test. He shook his head.

"No. That wasn't the deal. Clues weren't apart of what we said. It's simple. You didn't find what I was seeking. Therefore, you fail. And that means, I don't train you. Tough luck. I'm surprised you lasted this long," He smirked, thoroughly pleased with himself that he was able to catch them totally off guard like that. That they could fall for such a _trick._

"Grrrr..." Mariah hissed, nipping her fists, though stopped her actions once a bright and cheerful voice broke her concentration on Kai. She spun around, seeing Ray walking towards them with a submissive smile on his face.

"What are you guys talking about? A glass beyblade? Haha. Imagine if that existed. Totally pointless. About as useful as a glass hammer. It would be smashed to pieces, literally!" The midnight-haired Neko smiled in amusement, unaware of the eery glare Kai was sending him through his corruptive eyes.

The girls widened their eyes unthinkably, their level-headed minds returning from the hidden darkness, the knavery they had fell for now demolishing and finally catching on. Emerald, brunette, and golden eyes glared at Kai furiously, a stormy thrill of intelligence reaching their pupils and hitting Kai like a brick.

"You mean you had us searching for something that doesn't even exist! That's cheating!" Mariah exclaimed. Ray watched on in astonishment.

"Hn. Well you should have been clever enough to realize no such thing would exist. What's funny is that you believed it. It's like making a cup from cardboard," Kai remained cool, and crossed his arms over his chest victoriously. "You were way too over-confident to even realize."

"But you knew it didn't exist! So you had no intention on training us!" Fern gaped at Kai. It was infuriating. Though he was right. They should have known something as of such didn't exist. She found it amusing, if not annoying, but amusing.

"...Am I missing something here?" Ray asked innocently.

"KAI KAI!" Abruptly, a flash of girls came hurdling towards the dumbstruck phoenix, evoking the Bladebreakers and the humorously devoted White Tigers to stare in a complete stupor manor. An encircled form of girls enclosed around him, trapping Ray and the girls with him as they banned them from escaping their hyperactive clutches. Kai jumped back in unexpectation, only to realize there was nothing behind him to jump back in to.

Fern stooped back next to Kai, being trampled on by the parade of girls. Mariah and Hilary managed to scatter away untroubled, before they got splattered while the group of girls moved further towards Kai.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" One asked shyly.

"Can I hold your hand?"

"Will you sign my bra!"

"KAI KAI KAI!" The girl began to whimper to the floor, a fellow fan catching her as she almost passed out at the sight of her idol.

Kai looked on nervously, though being very cool about the whole situation, he let his gaze wander on to Ray, who simply shrugged at him uncertainly, lacking any ideas to help Kai escape. Quickly and sharply, he let his head fall towards Fern, hoping she had the answer. She smirked knowingly, and leant over his shoulder, placing her lip only inches away from his ear, her breath caressing his skin with the delicate air that fumed from her mouth.

"Just tell them you're... you know...," Fern whispered, removing her lips from his ear and stepping back to smile at him gracefully. He raised a brow.

"Uhh... no. I'll just do it my way," With that, Kai burst through the crowd of screaming girls, keeping an emotionless face and set upon escaping their bodies, using his arms to push past them softly. Though, eventually they started the move away themselves, once he made it clear that he had no interest in talking to them. Moans and disappointed cries echoed from the girls, clearly not accepting the fact that Kai didn't want to notice them.

The group of ten girls all desperately began to follow Kai, their legs shaking and hair flapping in a need to see him, a need to _touch_ him... Kai glanced behind him, taking an unwanted notice to see he was being followed by _girls. _Sighing, he picked up a slightly faster pace, hoping they would soon lose interest and go and annoy someone else.

However, as far as Kai was concerned... no such luck. They only picked up a faster speed, seriously willing to sacrifice their hair to be ruined, or their nails to break, just to catch up with him and least feel his tender muscles in a supple movement. The phoenix heard their whimpers louder than before, and it was then he realized they were closer than ever.

In that case, he decided to pick up an even faster pace. It was almost like a hurried walk, so close to a slow jog. Yet, he took a quick moment to glance around, to see they had followed suit, with their arms flailing around trying to catch Kai in their grasp. He chattered his teeth uneasily, as their speed-walk turned in to an almighty jog. Feeling this was going to have no end to it unless he took serious action, he began a light jog too, until the girls once again fastened their steps in to a run.

'Argh! Give me a break!' He refused to break the pattern and straightened his legs, his feet leaving the ground in to a fast sprint. Unwanted sweat poured down his forehead, as he left the battle arena with a group of obsessed fan girls following. Until now, he hadn't realized if girls wanted something, they'd run for it.

**

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ANJ: Whoo. That was long. Hehe. Next chapter might not come for a while... at least a month. /Sigh/ It's just with school and everything(Grr school started today for me!). But I'll try. And... PLEASE REVIEW! (And I'll love you... even though I already do. :P xxx)**


	20. Revealed

**It's came a little later than usual, I'm sorry. I won't go in to how much I think school work sucks, but yes, that is the unfortunate reason! ¬.¬ But anyway, that stuff doesn't matter.**

**BUT THE CHAPTERS SHORTER! (The next one after this will be even shorter) So hooray. XD It's better than the last, but that's just me. I was going through an experimenting point at the time when I wrote chapter 18 and 19, and seriously, when you have so many ideas it's not always a good thing. I tried to fit too much stuff in one whole chapter, so that was definitely a mistake. /Feels honest/**

**Much thanks for the reviews and... It's the twentieth chapter! This calls for a celebration/Grabs Kai in to a hug/**

**Kai: Get off me you maniac.**

**ANJ/giggles/ You enjoy it really.**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 20- Revealed**

_Kai's POV_

_I watched her as she slept. In the darkness, I listened to her breathing. It was soft, light, as her whole body rose and dropped with her even heartbeat as she slept in her deep, satisfied slumber. It somehow managed to enlighten over Ray and Max's whimpers, and drove a sweet noise in to the atmosphere. If I were to be a stranger right now... the first thing I'd notice would be her inhalation and exhalation to no possible end._

_A warm riddle of light pooled over her face, keeping her in a strange matter of light while the other content in the room stayed as jet as coal. Why are you so different? I don't understand. You're like the mismatching joker in the card pack. You're like a separate, lonely cloud drifting across the sky. You laugh, you cry, you shout, you smile... and all of that means something. Why are you like the way you are? You're incompatible to everything. Why are you so different..._

_End POV_

The blue-haired teen whipped his hand over his face, his palm hiding his mouth as he used his mind to access his thinking mode. Fern. He understood most things, as he was the captain after all. Captains have to be wise, intelligent and foreseeing. All the same, his brain wouldn't comprehend her as a whole. It was almost as if she was guarded by a brilliant force, an invisible protective shield that was always there, shielding something oblivious to everyone else.

Her face was framed in to a peaceful nature, undisturbed by any strife nor hate nor even worry. All of that seemed to slip away, leaving her face preoccupied in a world where emotion didn't exist; then why did he see a happy, careless face as he stood and stared? This difference in her rendered his mind, knowing it was only perceiving to uncover what 'this' was, but by simply looking at her, it was an unsolved mystery, taking his bitterness a step further.

The tips of his fingers burned for exposure against her sleek, pale skin, suddenly possessing a need to hold her chin in his larger hands. Complying to his desire, he reached out and without hesitation, sailed his fingertips down her right cheek, receiving a sudden buzz as her skin came to his reach.

For a second, he pulled his hand away again, before going back in for more, this time, settling his palm on her cheek, salvaging the moonlight that shared Kai's demand to skim her pretty face. A sudden great warmness and tickle ran up his arm, carrying on down his body and reaching his spine, shivering in delight at the delicious feel. It was almost as if he was touching something so enchanting, as celestial as an angel, he felt his hand slide in to her skin and almost seem like he was touching that very part of her that was most important; her soul, her spirit.

A pair of crimson eyes looked down towards the girl's face, experiencing a wild light hit them as white rays poured down his radiant skin, dabbing his nose with a little extra diversion.

'Why... Am I the only one who sees you this way? You've reached a point in my mind which I refuse to allow; yet it won't budge. I need to know. Why are you, you? Just give me a sign. Tell me who you are.' Kai squeezed his eyes shut in thought and removed his thenar from her cupped chin, taking back his complete, strong hand as slow and gently as he could.

He backed away from her bedside. Why was he doing this? Why did he take such a shine to this particular girl? 'Is it because you're so different... I just don't know. Every time I see you, touch you... it's almost as if I feel your emotion. Are you real? Why do I even feel this? Just so recently... since I developed these feelings. Why is it every time I look at you I feel so great? Am I possessed? Or am I possessed to even think that I'm possessed? I just don't _understand_...'

Kai felt a huge burst of emotion give birth within him, on the edge of bursting from his mouth in to a high-pitched scream of confusion, part of him dismaying his feelings as he snapped his teeth together and held back with all his might the shout of pain that longed for exposure in to the quiet air.

He slumped down on the bed quickly, tugging his hair and tearing it out as he tried to figure out the almost impossible task to him; his eyes whimpered in to a pathetic narrow, his mouth tightened, using it to release his anger instead of taking it out on his hair.

Feeling his heartbeat resting a little, something vital suddenly hit his head; well, it was vital to him. Something that she had given him... He got up, using his lower arm muscles to slide across his dripping forehead, before pulling open the drawer that rested beside the bed. His eyes rummaged through, until he found what he was looking for- that fragile phoenix bird.

It lay there, a sharp red spark glowing from its precious body, its light reflecting through his eyes, as he held out his hand to grab the bird. He picked it up as if it was very special to him; being as careful as anyone would be with a baby. The bird cradled in his hands, watching it attentively although was in much misconception as his mind played a game of no foretold debating for the remaining of the night.

The morning star in the shivering cold sky finally rose that morning with only a few remaining streaks of warmth, before the morning had froze in to another cold and unwelcoming day. It seemed, Kai's unusual behaviour lately took another turn, and that was simply, returning back to normal. He was the first up, first dressed, and seemed the most aware this morning just like he always had been. The only problem he had was waking up his bunch of lazy team mates. The disadvantage of dark, cold mornings was that all they wanted to do was sleep through it; as far as Kai was concerned, he was going to make it as hard as possible for them.

He had dragged them from their sleep and almost literally pulled them along with him to the hills for a little early morning practise. Well, 'little' was a bit of an understatement.

Yet again the clouds had been falling with delightful caressing snow, and covered the hills in burdens of snowflakes and gentle ice that had not yet formed in to the slippery sort.

"Bed... beautiful bed... I need you..." Tyson groaned, fighting with his eyelids to avoid closure, though lost several times until Kai's broad voice brought them to flick back open.

"Shut up, we're here to train. You bunch of lazy scoundrels need to be smartened up, otherwise you might just suffer the horrible factor of reversibility. Now, a little bit of theory. What is reversibility?" Kai asked in a sort of know-it-all way. He rolled his eyes once seeing a complete set of blank faces stare at him with no signs of intelligence whatsoever.

Max was having trouble keeping his balance steady with tiredness, and didn't seem to even be fully awake. He looked pissed. Ray was continuously yawning, something Kai wasn't fond of, and Tyson was just asleep altogether. A strange talent that allowed him to sleep while standing... unless he was just resting his eyes, Kai wondered, but he knew he wouldn't get very far once he had them moving.

The girl of the group just stared at the dark morning sky. Seeing this, Kai raised his brow a little. What was she doing?

"Reversibility means when your body loses muscle and fitness due to suddenly stopped training," A glorious voice hit Kai's ears, the exact answer he wanted. He smiled at the little mousey-brown haired boy.

"Right, Kenny. And lately we haven't been doing a lot of that, am I right?" Kai smirked, still annoyed at the lack of enthusiastic faces. Although every single one of them knew what this meant, their energy was too low to even protest. "Next- What makes a good beyblader?"

This question seemed to relate to them more; and immediately Tyson's brain snapped in to action within hearing this, and shot his hand up in the air mockingly. "Let me answer sir!"

Kai growled. Tyson smiled almost vengefully, before answering the question his captain asked. "Someone with a good attack!" Kai sighed at the simple, though true answer. However, he should have known Tyson wouldn't know the half of it. There was much more to it than just that.

"Someone with good endurance?" Ray suggested. Kai sighed again.

"Good defence... example, ME!" Max smirked, earning a glare from Kai. These simpleton answers didn't please him, and in fact, they were far from what he was looking for. He glanced at Fern hopefully, though pulled away once he realized he wasn't going to get a sensible answer off her either. She was staring at him so dumbly, even though the question was simple enough. Well, to him it was anyway.

To his surprise, Fern spoke in a somewhat true manner. "Someone like.. you?" He felt a smirk ripple over his cold lips. He had to admit, it was true. He was a perfect example, and it seemed she thought so too. Unless that was just sarcasm, which he so highly suspected.

"A good blader makes a fully fit and organized person, who has a good relationship with their bit-beast if they have one, and someone who can work as a team. You need team spirit, and individual spirit at the same time," Kenny quickly twittered, earning a surprised face from Kai. That was even better than expected.

"Yes. A good blader is a fit blader. If you bunch of lazy idiots weren't fit, then where would you be? You'd probably collapse while having a match. So, we're going to have a little jogging, then we're going to train. Got it?" He ordered, listening to the moans and groans that suddenly appeared once this was announced. Funnily enough, Tyson and Max had seemingly collapsed in to the grass, exhausted. Kai looked over them, shaking his head worriedly. How could they be so unfit? They hadn't even _started_ the training yet!

"Jogging?" Fern asked worriedly, suddenly becoming a little more alert than before.

Kai nodded in reply. "Yep."

"Oh. Do you think that's where I've been going wrong?" She asked almost uncertainly, rubbing the back of her head in slight awkwardness. It was true, she wasn't much of an exerciser. The fact was that she didn't enjoy it, so she saw no reason to actually carry it out.

"Perhaps," He said informatively. "How often do you exercise?" With a conversation between the two brewing, Tyson, Ray and Max took advantage of this and sprawled out over the snowy grass. Kai emitted a sigh. "You lot can start training already! On your feet!" A long, drawn-out groan escaped from their mouths, but immediately sprung up from the ground in fear of earning themselves a few more laps. "I want you to head North away from the sea, but you have to run up and down the hills and not around them. Otherwise you know what will happen. And I want six laps."

"Dammit Kai! Give us a break! We're not athletes!" Tyson protested. With receiving a glare from Kai, he sighed and followed after Ray and Max down the hill, almost tripping over with lack of good balance on this cold morning. Kai rolled his eyes the faced Fern again.

"I don't exercise _that_ often... only when I start to get a little chubby here and there. Though I do enjoy walking," She said, talking from where the convo left off.

Kai placed his finger on his chin, as if in deep thought. "Hmmm. Do you waste your energy?"

"How?" She asked, a little puzzled.

"Use your brain. How would a human waste energy?"

Fern stared dumbfounded. "Uhhhh..."

She watched as he stared at her disappointingly. "Pointless fights. Running when unneeded. Helping people who can help themselves. You following?" Kai asked simply, answering his own question, though secretly, he liked being the smart-ass.

Fern facefaulted almost suddenly. A shot of what-seemed-like worry powered over her pale face, enlightening her red cheeks to grow even redder. Kai raised his eyebrow slightly, wondering if he had hit an unknown soft spot. Strangely, a smile suddenly smacked on to her face like there was no tomorrow, only making Kai wonder even more.

"I preserve my energy for good deeds," Her eyes flashed a terrifying alien-like green, a smile of innocence tearing over her flesh.

"...Such as?" He asked, skeptical yet intrigued.

Fern's smirk turned in to a secretive grin, widening by the second until her mouth opened and a fresh blow of air released from her exhalation. "Now that would be telling." A cocky tone slipped through her tone, reaching Kai's ears as fast as light. He curled his eyelids, eyebrows fading towards his eyelashes at her unexpected remark. What? What sort of answer was that to give to him?

Without another word, Kai signalled Fern to get running. She nodded, still smirking, shivering slightly before beginning to run down the hill. There was nothing she hated more than having to run in the cold, which supposedly warmed you up. She didn't feel the slightest bit warmer.

Five...six...seven minutes past, and her heart was already beating at 200 beats per minute, where as Kai stayed firmly behind her, without even breaking a sweat. He should have surpassed her by now, although she guessed he liked to stay behind to make sure she didn't take a short-cut and cheat. Like she was going to do that anyway, she was still only on her first lap and already her breathing had become rugged and heavy. She didn't want to risk receiving a punishment which meant more laps, which she just possibly couldn't stand.

"You really know how to drive us to our limit," Fern commented, taking a moment to quickly glance around at Kai who was now joining her side. Unable to keep up with his pace, his legs tore in front of her, smirking at her weak face as he zoomed passed.

"Driving doesn't make you fitter. I'd like to see it as control."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. You sure know how to control us to our limit." Her green eyes caught him smile once more, as he suddenly became a few yards ahead of her. She smirked. "No wonder you out-ran those fan girls yesterday. You can run for the world." She panted. Taking a thrill in seeing Kai's back arching slightly in frustration at her comment, she laughed out loud which drove him to jog faster.

Up the hill, down the hill, the pattern repeating itself for quite some time. Kai had disappeared miles in front of her, and she could only faintly hear Tyson's voice.

"Hey! We were miles in front of Kai, how did he pass us?" Tyson cried out.

'What a surprise,' Fern thought, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her arm. 'Phew...' The muscles in her legs began to tense and strain, aching an unbearable pain as she forced herself to overload in to more exercise. Her abs screwed up, arms aching with her constant for and to movement.

She had to stop. There was no way she could continue this, unless she was willing to collapse. Her mouth had dried up, making her gums sticky and urging for water. She glanced around, whilst releasing heavy breaths. Kai wasn't around... so a quick rest wouldn't cause any harm. She paced herself slower, and slower, until suddenly to her horror, she felt something bursting from within slip through her pale skin...

A strange stream of mystical light effused from her feet, hovering around her boots as she narrowed down her jog a little. Emerald eyes clashing, she stared in complete horror and such shock that she couldn't bring herself to do anything but remain stiff- she came to a complete halt, not even noticing this. The light... it seemed to flow around, the sparkles of combined red and blue casting off vividly from her body and vanishing in to the sky, immediately being blown in to a million tiny sparks of glitter.

Her arms burned from the heat of the power, though not even twitching as if this was all second-nature to her.

'Mistress... take it back it, quickly,' Werex howled, sharing the same alarm as Fern, who did nothing but stare at her feet unknowingly. 'MISSTRESS!' Having heard Werex's vital warning, the redhead came to realize quickly what was happening, and immediately took her bit-beast's truthful advice.

Eventually the outburst of bizarre electric was absorbed out of sight. The girl still stared dumbstruck, her heart pounding a deadly warning to her mind. The red glimpse in her iris flashed furiously, an inferno burning up in complete dismay. Her hands shivering in anguish, a violent collision hit her mind, expressing her eyes to widen even more.

"Evolution repeats itself," She whispered to herself, though was partly aimed at Werex. Arms placed forward, she dare not even move her body in fear of something like that happening again.

'No. It was just...'

'..A slip? A slip? You can't possibly just call that a _slip. _What if it happens again? If it can happen once then what's stopping it...' Her eyes shot open wider. 'Oh my God... could it be... Black Pele? But if it was her trying to... you know... how did she do it? She's nowhere near here.'

'I don't believe it was Black Pele, in all honesty. You may just have lost control with your exercise..' Werex assured.

She shook her head worriedly, only managing to move her head from it's stiff form over her boots. "I don't know. Maybe. Let's hope."

"HEY! FERN! WHERE ARE YOU!" A panting voice engrossed her mind, eyes bolting in to an alert state quickly she brought her head up in to the sky in a worried gesture.

"Oh," She cried quietly, now coming to realize the others were looking for her frantically. "I'M COMING GUYS!" Leaving a large quantity of nerves behind her, she turned on her heel and ran towards the calling voice.

A set of bright faces greeted her over the next few hills, as she carefully ran towards her team mates with a forced smile pierced on her face. She found herself reluctantly locked in their gaze, setting an awkward scene for herself which was unwelcoming in her eyes.

"We thought we'd lost you there. Are you okay, you look a little... worn out?" Asked Ray, his golden eyes flashing with nothing but deep concern and concentration. The Neko watched as she nodded briefly, trying to keep her curved smile from falling in to a frown.

"I'm okay, just I'm not really an 'exercise' type person," The redhead smiled.

"Urgh. And now I suppose we'll have to continue?" Tyson bawled, letting his eyes swing on to Kai with the dirtiest glare ever. To his surprise, Kai spoke the complete opposite to what he anticipated.

"No," He said, keeping his line of gaze directed on Fern. "I think it's about time we find out if Fern has improved or not."

Everyone's eyes shot open and landed on the phoenix with such wonder. This was so unlike Kai. Even she knew this wasn't something familiar for Kai to do, and still, this was definitely not a good time to have a battle, after what had just happened.

"What? Are you serious Kai?" Ray asked, almost bewildered by his words.

"Totally serious. But I'm not going to challenge her. One of you are. And you're not going easy on her either."

"Surely, we can wait a little longer? To be honest I don't think she's ready," Tyson admitted.

Fern listened as the boys debated whether this was a good idea or not. She wasn't so much surprised about what he said, but it was the fact that it came from him. Wasn't he the one who was skeptical about training her in the first place? Or maybe, just maybe, he had finally accepted her in to the group. There wasn't much celebration from him yesterday when she became an 'official' member, but maybe that was going to come late. Better late than never.

"Actually," Fern began, all heads swirling on to her. "I accept. I do feel a little more competitive, so... okay! Who wants a battle?"

The blonde of the group stepped forward. "Well then. I challenge you to a beybattle!"

Fern smiled then nodded. "All right then." The girl rummaged through her pocket and brought out her launcher and blade, then slid her ripcord through and clasped her blade on to it, Max doing the same. Kai and the rest of the team stayed along the bank of the hill, to avoid being hit at all costs. She lifted her launcher towards the surface of the hill, her green eyes hungry for a spot of battling. "I actually have a few secrets of my own." She teased.

Max looked up slightly, letting a half-smile dribble over his lips. "Oh really? What's that then?"

"The darkness rules all," Smirking back, she could tell she had him wrapped around in a ball slightly. Her intimidating eyes were enough for anyone to fall for her words; Werex's element was, naturally, darkness, and the thing was, darkness easily ruled over light, and because Max was the 'defensive' sort of blader... she led him to believe this match wasn't going to be easy. Why did he believe her?

"3...2...1...!" Tyson bellowed.

"LET IT RIP!" The two bladers sang at the top of their lungs together, immediately ripping their blades on to the icy grass below. Because both him and her were stood practically _in _the so-called arena, they both had to be severely careful as to where they manoeuvred their blades. One hit on each other and it could be all over.

"Let's see if you can battle without calling your bit-beast!" Max challenged, her green eyes taking a second to widen at his conflict.

"Fine, you're on!" She smirked. Her confidence was rather irritating to Kai; he noticed her bold, sure attitude, rubbing a finger along his jaw line in wonder. She wasn't _that _competitive, so why did she seem so confident? He didn't let his crimson eyes fail to catch any suspicious movements from her.

For a while, the blades circled around each other, when one blade ran around the other, the other would follow suit until it seemed like there was a mini tornado going on. Her black and ruby blade suddenly shifted to one side, a line of grass being torn from it's roots along the way, grass now flying in every direction, and Kai wasn't too chuffed when one managed to land in his hair.

She giggled at the small gesture he made, before returning her thoughts and attention back on to the battle. 'He's cute when he's angry.'

Max was staring at his blade with great concentration. He had been waiting for her to make a move, though if she wasn't going to, then he would. "DRACIEL!"

Max's blade continued to spin in a fast rotation, dodging Fern's attempted attack on him. A few more ice and grass flew around, as his blade taunted hers and every move she made. The spinning top continued to sail away from hers, only to earn a good old chase from Werex, though to her surprise, Max quickly retreated and rammed in to her blade, sending a spark of electric through the winter air, this happening a few times until finally she decided to take much stronger action.

"WEREX ATTACK!" Fern's blade shunned in to his, a loud crunch settling before their ears as they both stared with open eyes in complete desperation.

Draciel quickly manoeuvred to the side, just as Werex was about to clash in to his once more, and flew straight past the blade and scraped in to the soil, releasing solid soil from the ground in the process.

"Draciel!" His defensive blade spun once again out of the way of one of Fern's attempted attacks, this time her eyes almost brewing with shock. 'She really wants to win this, doesn't she Draciel? Do you think she feels like she's let the team down if she doesn't?'

'That's for her to know,' His bit-beast replied back, keeping the chat short as that wasn't an issue that could be dealt with. The issue was, doing as the captain says and giving it everything. Fern seemed so sure she was going to win this time, though also it seemed like she didn't want him to hold back. She actually wanted a challenge, so if it was a challenge she wanted, then it was a challenge she'd get.

'I've got a strategy,' He smirked to himself, continuing to lure his blade away from hers. He knew this would only encourage her more, and he wanted her to use a special attack on him. What an interesting match this was. Defence Vs. Defence.

Finally his wishes were granted, and she called for Werex with a rather loud whistle. "Let's go Werex, black out!" She cried in vain, her smirk directed at Max. Suddenly, a splash of light flared from her blade, following in to the shape of a green-eyed werewolf. Absently, the wolf didn't hesitate to release her deadly black stream of smoke.

Max smirked knowingly. 'Just what I wanted.' "DRACIEL ATTACKKKKKKK!" Fern's eyes rose in shock, though narrowed again once the darkness had ruled over Max's blade. Draciel rose from it's bit chip, creating a large pool of everlasting fireworks through the cold, morning sky. The turtle proceeded to stand, then turned around, seeming to block the black fog away from his side of the hill with his shell and successfully wiping his blade free from any demon blackness.

Her red and brown hair sailed wildly behind her, having not at all expected this comeback, though despite everything, she knew she should have known he'd been waiting for this opportunity. Their ears caught the sudden clash of their blades on the stiff hill, a feeling of suspense slipping through their eyes, and their minds filled with wonder, yet Max secretly hoped she would win this one, as he was pleasantly surprised by her sudden rise in power.

Unexpectedly, both blades flew from the surface, leaping in to the air and letting the light snowfall gracefully caress their chips, before their masters caught them with such ease that they didn't seem to realize.

In a flash of light, both bits returned to their blades, leaving only a few shades of mist from Fern's attack.

There was a rather unneeded silence among the two teens for a short while, as they let the final result sink in. Tyson's voice broke the moment. "No way! That was amazing! I can't believe it! IT'S A DRAW! Hah!" He cried, sharing the seem surprise as everyone else, especially Fern. "Fern you RULE! For a second there I thought you were going to lose, but then I thought you were going to win, and man, then I wasn't so sure!"

Fern listened to Tyson's exciting words, and soon enough, a hidden smile managed to place on her face. "I... I don't know what to say." Max smiled, then walked over to her freely, her eyes casting in to his as he did.

"Fern... that was amazing. You've improved a hell of a lot. How did you do it? You had me so tense!" Max laughed, patting her shoulder, showing much affection through his happy face.

The girl blushed a little, using the tip of her finger to dawdle down her cheek. "Really? Well, what can I say? It's all thanks to you guys."

Kai stared. 'What? I don't believe it. It's interesting to see she's improved, but she's becoming extraordinary good.' He had a second thought. 'Maybe... but Max is meant to be great... and she couldn't even win Tyson before. Now she's drawing? What next? Winning? I must say, she's a fast learner.' A smirk placed over his cold lips. 'Perhaps she was made for this team.'

"Gee, Fern," Kenny laughed, blushing behind Dizzi. "You're a pro."

"Now now, chief. You don't want to get her confidence too high, we already have plenty of those people hanging around," Dizzi commented sarcastically, clearly reflected on Tyson without having any eyes or arms to show it.

"Though you see Dizzi, it's better than being paranoid or unconfident," Tyson puffed out his chest.

"Yeah, but being overconfident is more annoying," Ray laughed, joining Fern and the others.

During the battle they hadn't even noticed that the snow had began to fall over their heads. Light, sleek flakes feathered from the clouds, swiftly returning to the ground. Ray gazed around him, receiving a chill up his spine as he rested his elbow against his opposite hand. "I think we had better be off before we freeze."

"Not without a snowball fight!" Tyson cried, throwing a ready-made snowball straight at Ray, the golden-eyed boy being too slow to dodge it and was hit in the right shoulder. For a few seconds the Neko stared at the teen in disgust, before a cute, shivering smile froze on to his face, and he bent down to grab his own pile of snow.

"Weyy!" Max laughed, joining his team mates and making double the amount of snow wrapped in his ball, held his arm back then throttled it forward, bullseye right in Tyson's face. He screamed out from the sudden shock of being exposed to such cold, thick liquid.

Fern's green eyes grew wide, although smirked and stepped well out of the way while snowballs were thrown back and fourth. Somehow one had managed to slip down Tyson's pants. Of course, this made him quiver and shriek as the sharp ice crawled down his legs in an agonising way. "ARGHH!"

Kenny placed Dizzi in front of his face to avoid the fight, though once Dizzi began to get splattered he moved her aside when suddenly three snowballs hurdled towards him, soothing his face with cold snow. He looked up after wiping away the snow, and was surprised to see Ray had thrown one of them.

The red-headed female continued to watch the sudden bizarre little fight, and slowly backed away down the bank of the hill when Tyson attempted to throw one at her, instead she jumped out of the way and it splattered over the grass.

From no where, a flying missile of snow caught her off guard, splashing her face, her body immediately reacting and jumping in fright as the snow crawled over her cheeks and uncomfortably in her mouth. Wiping the snow away, her eyes followed around until she found the culprit. Kai stood there, arms folded, and scarf swaying lightly behind him, casting her a smug smile with glittering crimson eyes.

"KAI, you bad boy! How dare you throw a snowball before me!" She laughed, slightly surprised though generally happy he was finally joking around with her again. She bent down, scraping every flake of snow from the ground she could fit in to her two hands, then immediately flung it at the phoenix, but when he dodged it with ease, he didn't see the other one coming from her second hand and was splattered straight in between the legs.

A blush caressed her cheeks. "Ah! Oh my, I'm sorry Kai!" Almost laughing slightly, her hand slapped over her mouth when Kai's face returned to a cold expression, though he didn't even bother to stare down at where she had hit him, or remove the snow for that matter. He threw a cold, unremarkable glare that swallowed her face.

Suddenly, an almost triumphed smile fell over his features, her eyes beginning to question his sneaky change. He brought his hand out from behind his back, exposing a rather large pile of snow in his hands. Fern smirked a little though her eyes begged him not to throw it. Too late, his arm had already swung back and he hit her in the neck. The snow dribbled down her top, as Kai stared at her mockingly.

"I'll get you back for that!" She laughed, running up to Kai whilst treading her hand along the grass and piles of snow cupped in her hands as she did so.

Wiping away the snow from his hair, Ray watched on in interest as Fern and Kai continued to tease each other with snowballs. You didn't need a genius to work out the incredible shine Kai had taken to her. They seemed uncannily close. The yellow-eyed Neko began to wonder. Was there something he didn't know?

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**Oh. So, what's up with Fern then? Wanna take a guess? You'll never get it, but try anyway. P Review and tell me what you think!**


	21. Cupid's Miss

**There was some interesting guesses as to what happened to Fern, like being an alien and having phoenix powers. XD Haha you guys rock. Good guesses, but they're not right I'm afraid! And thank you so much to Blue Fire Phoenix for her honest and LONGGGG review, that had me wowed for a while so much much thanks to her /pats head/. And I WILL read your stories soon BFP! Sorry it's taking so long! **

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 21- Cupid's Miss**

Fern launched on to the red, sleek rounded seat with enthusiasm. The seat semi-circled around a large American-buffet table, which was a family table and probably the best for a big team. The table was very isolated and was hidden well with the tall backs of the seats reaching to a hight which was almost impossible to peek over to the next table, though she wasn't complaining. They had plenty of space to chat and had lots of privacy, though at the moment with just Kai's presence there seemed to be too much of that.

"They did say table three right? Seven thirty wasn't it?" She asked, making sure with the captain that they both had heard correctly.

Kai nodded distinctly, sharing the same concern and confusion as her. He maybe wasn't as curious as her, though was perhaps a bit more inquisitive. The team were five minutes late and for some reason the seconds kept on counting without them.

_Flashback_

_Ray leant forward towards his team mates, aware that Kai and Fern were well out of sight after losing the 'long-straw' decider and were sent off to buy the drinks at the café. "I think there's something going on between those two."_

_Tyson's face filled with mischief, that only led Ray to wonder if he was doing the right thing by telling his team mates this. The dragon looked almost gob smacked but for some reason his eyes remained sharp and aware of what Ray had told him and his cheeks were glowing with extorted excitement. "Say what? You really think so!? Kai? Fern?!"_

_Max ignored Tyson's over-excited behaviour and pushed his head further in to the circle. "What, are you sure, Ray? I mean I understand Fern but surely Kai isn't that type of person."_

_"Yeah, that's what I thought but haven't any of you guys noticed how close they are becoming? I mean Kai doesn't let us get too close to him so why is he suddenly allowing Fern?" Ray inquired, his eyebrows narrowing in wonder._

_"It's stupid, there's nothing going on!" Kenny spat._

_End Flashback_

Why were they acting so weird in that café? 'Maybe they inhaled too much snow, that might explain things,' Fern laughed to herself sarcastically. Her eyes wandered nervously on to Kai who was sat across from her, tapping the edges of the table lightly with his fingertips, probably from boredom. 'I bet he's annoyed at his team mates, especially Tyson if I know him well enough. I bet he hates being stuck here with me', She smirked. 'Heh, he feels uncomfortable doesn't he Werex? Why else would he tap a merry tune on the table? He's fidgety.'

'Do you really blame him? For him it looks like his team mates have stood him up and left him with you,' Werex joked, entering her mind suddenly, bringing Fern to loosen her attention on Kai.

'Haha, and what's wrong with being stood-up with me?' The girl laughed though not long after came to realize something else, when it occurred to her Werex's statement could be... true. "Hold on a sec.. stood up..with me!? You don't think...'

_Flashback_

_"They should be back any minute now so let's make this quick. We'll set them up on a date!" Max laughed in a crafty manner, glancing quickly over at the counters where Kai and Fern were ordering the drinks. Ray had finally convinced his team and Max was understanding that it probably was true. For the last two weeks they had seriously been hitting on each other even though how covertly it was, and the signs weren't big and were extremely easy to miss. Now that they all thought about, there wasn't a doubt about it; they both took a shine to each other, if not that, then it was a one-way thing which was more likely to be on Fern's side than Kai's._

_Either way, that didn't stop them from setting their captain up with Fern. They liked to see it as giving him a helping-hand._

_"Right...but how..?" Asked Ray, who even he was indulged in the whole situation. He was smooth and wise, and when he saw a romance blossoming, he knew it and even though it was against his will to interfere, there was no chance that Kai was going to make a move anyway. Even so, it was well worth a laugh._

_"Guys, I think you should just leave it, let them work it out for themselves. You're such nosey parkers," Kenny argued, unable to keep his opinion suppressed any longer._

_Tyson shook his head. "Nonsense Kenny, there's definitely some chemistry between the two. Anyway, even if there isn't, which I actually think could be possible, I'd love to see Kai's face. Actually, that gives me an idea. I want to see Kai's face if we do set them up on a date, so how about we pretend we are going to meet at a restaurant or something?" Everyone raised their brows as he portrayed cupid. Tyson sighed. "You know, we could book an American buffet restaurant, and that way we could also have a look-in.. heh heh..."_

_End Flashback_

'...Then when me and Kai arrived back at the table their faces were so full of thought. Tyson's face scared me the most. He seriously looked like he was...planning something...' Fern gasped to Werex, wondering whether her accusations were true or not. It would make sense seeing as after all, they were the Bladebreakers and their minds worked like clowns, well Tyson at least, and she was so sure they were capable of pulling something like this off...

The girl's face suddenly burned in to a dark shade of cherry, seriously feeling the need to strangle whoever came in to her reach right now, although she didn't even dare let Kai know about her discovery. She guessed he had figured it out by now anyway but mentioning it might... cause more tension that wanted. Her green eyes darted all over the place, nervously trying to find a decent place to settle them while she tried to get a hold of herself and her constant flushing.

Kai's eyes flashed open, and cast Fern a quick, sharp red glance. His eyes widened a little to catch a little blush over her cheeks, and immediately the phoenix changed his line of gaze, unable to compromise with her eyes. His stomach was all over the place, much like his head where a dozen different emotions were living, annoyance, uneasiness, awkwardness, a little bit of embarrassment and much prominent anger for his team mates.

He felt like a total loser. He knew fine well what his team mates had done, and by the looks of Fern's face he guessed she had to. The tension between the two was almost unbearable and extremely unwelcoming. What do you say when you know you've been set up? Just smile and pretend you don't realize? 'Yeah right.' He cursed his team silently, annoyed that they did this to _him. _Their captain. How did they have the nerve? But something else was bothering Kai rather than just the date set-up- where the hell did they get this idea from? What gave them the impression him and Fern had a thing for each other? The worst thing was, Kai dreaded the answer more than anything. Was it... obvious? Was something, that wasn't true, so noticeable that gave them this crazy idea? But what, was the main question he longed to find out.

_Flashback_

_Kai and Fern returned to the table, both holding a tray with three cold pepsi drinks on each one. They were greeted with stares and sudden silence for some reason, scarily over-confident looks and raised eyebrows that made the two teens stop and stare suspiciously, pondering for a few seconds._

_"...What's up with your faces? Someone wrong?" Fern asked unsure, examining her team mate's sly expressions curiously, her green eyes darting quickly around the table in wonder._

_"Oh! Oh nothing. You took a long time," Kenny broke the silence for his team mates who had seemingly lost their voices, so he guessed he was doing them a favour. He sighed in relief once Fern shrugged it off, smiled, and sat down next to him followed by Kai._

_As Kai sat down, his intimidating gaze momentarily caught Kenny's sheepish face in wonder. The little teen bowed his head in tension, unable to meet with Kai's eyes in total contact. He knew Kai wasn't one to let something go so easily- it was clear he suspected something._

_"Mmmm, yeah, there was a problem with the ice machine. Don't ask, because I don't know. Very unprofessional if I may say so," Fern smiled, imitating a posh accent in mockery._

_"Unprofessional indeed... Even though the food here is really nice I think we should go to a bigger, more expensive and an even yummier place to eat tonight," Tyson announced, grabbing a pepsi from the tray. Kai raised a brow, making Tyson smirk a little. He continued. "This is our last late night we can have in Manhattan because tomorrow we have to be in bed early so we can wake up for the final, SO," He paused. "How about we spend tonight in the family American buffet."_

_Max nodded excitedly, his mouth flinging open in agreement. "Yeah! Just as a little celebration occasion for... being the ultimate world champions!"_

_"We're not world champions yet," Kai stated, all heads turning on to him now._

_"Ah, but I have won it...Ugh," Tyson stopped and held up his fingers to count. "THREE TIMES! And I think we need a good celebration now that we've come this far. We're about to beybattle in the final. Whatever happens, whoever wins, we will always be proud of how far we've come! It'll be great! The whole team together on the last full night in New York. C'mon Kai, what do ya say?"_

_The phoenix stared at the dragon. Since when was Tyson the type of guy who 'was always proud even if they didn't win'? He narrowed his eyes, strictly questioning all of this- Tyson looked nervous, his eyes were zooming everywhere. There was something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he made a good point and he could tell he wasn't going to let it drop until he agreed. "Fine."_

_Suddenly Tyson's face brightened. "Haha, that's the spirit Mr. Sour- I MEAN Kai, heh heh heh..." He flushed, rubbing his hands together hesitantly. "I'll book the table, and I think we should all go our separate ways so we can meet up and reunite as if we were..." He pondered. "REUNITING!"_

_End Flashback_

Fern pulled a daft, clownish face at Kai in amusement. Those sneaky little so and so's. She had a hunch the idea was probably more Tyson's than the other's. She could imagine him trying to be the matchmaker. They had certainly had her fooled, but Kai was in a completely new league. She remembered him acting very weirdly around his team after that, as though he already knew what they were up to. But that was Kai, when wasn't he acting weirdly around his team? 'He must of had his suspicious... then why did he turn up?'

She found herself laughing nervously out loud all of a sudden, earning a skeptical glance from Kai and he kept his contented gaze locked in hers from then on. There was no point hiding it any longer; she could tell by looking at him that he was thinking the same as her.

"They've _stood_ us up haven't they Kai?" She whispered anxiously, forcing herself to keep her eye contact on Kai- though was disappointed when he didn't respond and looked away. Her eyebrows scrunched up a little. He was making the situation worse. 'He always has to make it worse than it actually is. If someone like Kenny and me were set up on a date we would be blushing for a short while then we'd laugh. With Kai it's like... I'm some sort of threat. The set-up is a threat. He must understand that his team mates were only joking around.'

"Are you ready to order drinks yet?" Kai and Fern's head shot up in the direction of the voice to find a smartly-dressed, very handsome American waiter stood over the table. "You do know you can help yourselves to the food. It's just over there." He pointed towards the tables and open ovens of food that was practically set out for any one to take.

Fern almost lost her words for a few moments and glanced at Kai in question, waiting for him to tell her what to do. To her surprise he just shrugged, raising his top lip as if he couldn't be bothered. He was giving her the choice, which was unusual and quite speculative though she smiled and turned back to the waiter and nodded. "Yes, uh, has the food already been paid for?"

The waiter raised his two brows at her as if she was stupid. "Uh, well, of course it has. Everything is paid for before hand otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here right now. Is it just the two of you sharing this big family table?"

Fern nodded sheepishly. "It's just us two for now."

"Okay, that's fine. Drinks are paid for separately so do you want to order any?"

"Uhhh..." The redhead glanced at Kai quickly, only to receive back the same unfazed glance. "No thanks." With that the waiter nodded and walked off without another word.

"Kai... that must mean Tyson or someone else has already paid for this," Fern said affectionately, directing her gaze straight in to his gorgeous crimson eyes. Blinking a few times, she watched as Kai simply gazed back at her. No emotion in his face, his clear complexion dazzling under the yellow lights and his blood-coloured eyes stayed set sharply and dreamily on to her- and suddenly it almost felt like magic. She was enchanted with a perfect, debonair face staring her right in the eye and he was so unaware of what she was feeling. She could stare for hours.

She felt a pink blush of surprise wash over her face, and couldn't help but wander her eyes up and down his body. His arm was lying straight against the back of the chair coolly, while his other rested on the table in front of him. There was no denying it. He looked _hot._

Finally finding her voice she spoke again, a little more nervous than before. "Mmmm, what's the point in letting all of the food go to waste? There's no point just sitting here, should we go and grab some plates and pack them up with food? We may as well, it's already been paid for, and I'll tell you something- I'm absolutely craving for some of that chicken."

A cute half-smile found it's way on to Kai's face, a flaming, hot smile that made Fern's heart do a strange flip. For a second she widened her eyes and pulled a skeptical look, when his face and smile almost seemed a little cunning.

"Heh heh... hello smile on Kai's face. Where did you come from?" She laughed in a flutter.

"There's no point in letting the money go to waste, so let's eat as much as possible," Kai stated and stood up. Fern's mouth almost dropped though let her legs take control as she followed Kai to the food.

A group of strange, and uncannily small men with newspapers tucked under their arms scurried across the buffet table room after being greeted by one of the waiters who had directed them towards table two, the neighbour being table three. The smallest of the group headed in the centre of the semi-circle seat, followed by three larger ones who sat near the edges of the table as though they were trying to be noticed, or trying to notice something themselves. The newspapers were thrown on the table in front of each man.

"Why did the tables have to have such high chair backs? We can hardly see!" A boyish voice cried from under an over-sized, fake white beard. Scruffy blue hair was trying to squeeze from the fluffy white embrace and stuck out in awkward directions. He was wearing a bright red suit that resembled Santa Claus in some ways.

"Just be happy that we managed to get a table close by otherwise we wouldn't have a clue what they were saying!" A sweeter voice pointed out from under a blonde beard, wearing neat purple over-alls.

"Tyson, are you sure this is a good idea?" Squeaked the shortest who had a very distinctive bright red beard, whilst the top of his hair was a mousey brown. His clothes were smart, wearing a tight shirt and tie and black pants. The white-bearded fake frowned, and planted his hand the squeaky lad's shoulder.

"Kenny, you worry too much! Of course this isn't a good idea! That's why we're wearing the fake beards," Tyson assured, before rubbing his hand across his fluffy white beard and pulling the elastic that held it on at the back of his head. He puffed out a stream of air. "These things are hot."

A purr left the lips of Ray, who was wearing a total black beard. The unfortunate thing was, the beard itself was actually a pirate beard and came with an attached eye patch, that the Neko had to wear which he wasn't too pleased about. He felt very stupid, though his white outfit made up for it. "Speak for yourself, you're not the one who has the wear an eye patch!"

"Haha, who needs captain Kai now that we have captain Ray?" Max laughed. Ray shot him an evil glare, but before he could say anything Tyson alerted the team.

"SHH, newspapers up, here they come!" Immediately Tyson and the others grabbed their prepared newspapers and opened any random page and sat it in front of their faces whilst the targeted couple walked past with a plate full of food in each of their hands. As they walked past Tyson quickly took a moment to peek behind his paper to catch a whiff of the food.

Finally when the two teens were out of sight Tyson broadcast the signal of 'all-clear' by rustling his newspaper. Suddenly all newspapers were flattened on the table accompanied with sighs of excitement. "I'm off to fill my own plate up, so you guys stay here and let me know if you hear anything good okay?" Tyson smirked. Everyone rolled their eyes and let out annoyed groans before nodding. They had paid for two tables after all, they may as well take turns in going to grab some food.

"Just don't over-do it, otherwise they might figure it out..." Ray advised seriously, before his hungry team mate could run off towards the food. Tyson just nodded and closed his eyes, holding his hand out at Ray, reassuring him not to worry. The hungry dragon disappeared to the food, leaving Ray in a deep state of doubts. If they were caught he dreaded to think what Fern and Kai would do, though Kai particularly.

The team tried to listen in as best they could while Tyson was away, though so far they heard nothing but silence. They should have guessed there wasn't going to be much chat; they were bound to feel awkward, though Ray had suspected Fern to make some effort and try to make conversation but it seemed not. Before long Tyson skipped back to the table with his so-called small plate of food. It was packed with probably everything that was set out- with a strange mixture of tomatoes and rice with chicken and fries.

"Did I miss anything?" He asked immediately digging in to his food. "Mmmm."

"No, nothing yet," Ray whispered.

"Just think, if Tyson was here there would be no food left," Fern's voice caught their ears and straight away their eyes widened excitedly, though her words weren't exactly what Tyson was looking for. He snorted something quietly through his stuffed mouth.

Fern and Kai had much smaller helpings of food than Tyson, of course their appetite was much smaller than his. Every now and then their eyes would expel into each other's, then drift back towards their food. The smitten werewolf pointed out to herself numerous times that this was almost like a first date- and even though it was a set-up it seemed so real.

"Hn," Kai replied. His voice rang repeatedly through the Bladebreakers' ears, much to their enjoyment. They felt a conversation brewing even if it was short words.

"Are you mad at him?" She asked, picking up his anger at the simple mention of Tyson.

"I know he'll be doing a 100-mile run when I catch up with him again. And the rest for that matter."

The team gulped silently, seriously not liking where the conversation was going any more. They all pulled each other a dissatisfied glare, though continued to listen with much interest.

"Why do you think they _set_ us up?" Fern managed, finally feeling brave enough to ask for his opinion.

"What?" By Kai's unamused tone, she felt her words being flung back down her own throat. The disguised team felt her fear and braced themselves for her next words.

"I-I mean uhhh.. why do you think they didn't turn up?" She stuttered, keeping her head bowed towards her plate as she played with her knife and fork, dipping them in and out of the mash uneasily.

"...Because they're the Bladebreakers. When do they ever do things right?" Kai sighed, though with slight enthusiasm for conversation in his tone.

She couldn't help but smile. "Fair enough. But I'm sure you're wrong. Your team is cool..."

Kai pulled her a skeptical look, as though she had said something rather weird. She stared at him for a few moments, confused more so than him. By the look he was pulling her he almost seemed to be indicating something, as though she needed to be corrected. Her mind suddenly clicked on as a pair of green eyes grew wide and luminously happy. There was only one thing she could think of. "Oh.. I mean... our team. _Our _team is cool."

Tyson almost spat out his food.

"You think?" Kai asked sarcastically, though it wasn't really a question.

She answered it anyway. "Of course. Do you really think I would be here if I thought you sucked? I love this team. It's something different. It has something.. a lot of teams don't have."

Her charming words sang straight through Ray, Max and Kenny. It was touching that she actually felt so courtesy towards them. Their gazes were exchanged and came with surprised and compassionate smiles, completely forgetting about what they were meant to be listening out for. An angry groan broke their intrigued, tender moment amongst each other.

"Hm. Where's all the good stuff! I was hoping for something a little more... juicy," The dragon boy complained, taking another mouthful of food protestingly.

"Tyson! This is good! Don't you get it, she's telling him her feelings for the team.. she thinks we're cool," Ray smiled, falling back in to his tenderness state again.

Tyson straightened his back in alert. "She does!? She does huh... Well who can blame her-"

Max broke off the exasperated teen before he could finish. "Wow... she really admires us. She must be grateful." He smiled admiringly.

"Hmm... why is she telling Kai this? Why not us?" Tyson bellowed affrontly, his inspective words dribbling with reassurance that he was on to something.

Ray narrowed his eyes at the dramatic teen and sweatdropped. "Cos we're not there... duh."

"Uh.. Kai...I...I..."

Altogether their movements stopped abruptly, in hearing Fern's sweet voice hesitate with her words. They didn't even stop to think and immediately Ray and Max jumped over the table and flung themselves next to Tyson who was closest to Fern and Kai.

Their legs trembled in excitement, eyes wide and desperate, ears resting against the back of the chair to catch every single word she was about to say. Tyson was almost laughing in total pleasure, bracing himself for the next overstrained words.

"Cupid's arrow is about to strike.." Tyson giggled.

Suddenly a group of kids ran towards nothing in particular, and stopped beside their area of eating as they all screamed and chattered excitedly like any other normal kids would do. Fern's voice became unheard and mumbled, and unable to hear what she was saying and what he had been building up for, Tyson felt his patience slip within matter of time.

"AHHHH! STUPID KIDS! WHAT IS IT SHE SAID? WHAT DID SHE SAY!?" He dragged the last word on for countless seconds, his finger nails trailing down the soft chair and letting rip an almighty squeamish screech from his fingers. His panting became unpolished and stressful knowing he had missed probably the highlight of the night, believing her words were along the lines of 'I love you Kai.'

Ray chattered his teeth, scuffling his beard with his tiger claws nervously. He clasped a hand on his reactive friend's shoulder, trying to settle him down. "Tyson! Calm down!"

Red, fuming flames came from his flustered face, truly gaping at the kids in bewilderment that he was so lose to discovering what the two love birds talked about when they were alone.

A short, black-haired kid stared at Tyson knowingly, suddenly a large smile finding it's way over his face. He stopped and pointed in marvel. "Hey! It's Santa!"

Tyson's red face jolted in to a white sheet, his features tingling with amazement. "WHA!?"

Fern and Kai had humanly picked up the commotion and spun around in their seats humbly. Ray caught this movement vividly, remorse settling fondly throughout his dreaded mind. He couldn't even watch. In a flash a dozen excited children attacked Tyson before he could make his getaway, left watching an embarrassed team who could take no action but watch their champion mate be throttled with infatuated love for their beloved Santa Claus.

Kai and Fern kneeled over the seat, watching in extreme amusement as a Santa-lookalike who was probably trying to keep a profile of being Santa, was attacked, and it didn't help when the kids tried to pull of his beard.

"Get off my beard! It's real I tell ya, REAL!" Tyson cried, fighting away the monstrous little devils as their little hands stretched the long beard until the elastic was partly away from Tyson's head, when...

_Snap!_

Everyone fell silent.

There wasn't another word. The shocked faces of the team, Tyson, and even the kids ruled over the atmosphere between them. Ray, Max and Kenny's faces filled with anguish, pain and embarrassment. None of them knew what to say. Tyson looked terrified, staring at kids with much hate, even though he tried to change his expression because the kids looked frightfully scared at the fact that Santa was in fact... Tyson.

A moment later Tyson broke the silence. "Haha... uhh... ouch?" He suddenly screamed and pointed. "Hey! That kid pulled off my beard!" Suddenly he felt a strong, hot breath cascade down the back of his neck. He gulped in fear, knowing perfectly well what it was. Slowly, he spun his head around, his jaw tightening together, to find Kai and Fern staring over the top of the chairs with truly damaged faces.

The little kids began to scream again, the long white beard being thrown in the air and caught dismissively by Tyson, and the bundle ran off shouting all sorts of accusations to their mum's, like 'Santa is a little boy'.

Fern broke from her bewildered state, finally finding her voice. "Oh my God! Santa's Tyson!?" She cried in a serious manner.

Even though Kai's blood was boiling, he resorted his attention on to Fern, before sweatdropping at her accusation. "No! Tyson's Santa... I mean... HEY! What are you guys doing!?" Suddenly his face blew up in to a scorching inferno, fire practically burning within his demon eyes. He had only just took in what had happened, and even now he was struggling to accept.

His meddling team mates were thrived with fierce sweating whilst cowardly staring in to the eyes of their ruler. For a few seconds their eyes fluttered on to each other, hesitant 'uhmmss' trembling from their mouths.

"LEG IT!" Tyson ordered manically, daring to escape from his hot-headed captain who was only inches away from him, and ran like the wind out of the buffet doors followed by his alarmist team mates who were too afraid to even look back.

There stood Kai and Fern, staring dumbly at the doors their team had just left. Little did they notice, they had caught a lot of customer's attention though it wasn't efficient. The redhead stuck out her bottom lip, dying to laugh in amusement though was too surprised to even release anything. The girl suddenly shook her head, her bemused mind lasting a few seconds before it almost completely wiped from her head. "Anyway, as I was saying Kai, before we were rudely interrupted, _I _need the toilet. I'll be back in two ticks!"

The girl sang happily as she skipped off towards the toilets, Kai's eyes following her as she disappeared in desperation. His skeptism was beyond any other, still grieving over being humiliated in front of the buffet. He knew he shouldn't be the one feeling humiliated, it should be his pathetic team mates, though strangely, he couldn't help but think about something else... 'What on... what is it with her and toilets!? _ARGH! _Why am I surrounded by eccentric freaks!?'

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**Kai: It's true. I am surrounded by freaks. You namely. /Glares/**

**ANJ: Oh, thanks a bunch. Anyways if you likey then reviewy pretty please!**


	22. Memories and the Future

**Lateness, sorry, having a tough time with exams:) /Hugs everyone who reviewed/ Thank you!! And when you see _Italics _it can mean dream/memory too.**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 22- Memories and the Future**

Kai had given Tyson probably the worst possible punishment. He had the poor boy up late exercising in front of a big plate of energizing food, torturing him with payback just so he learnt his lesson for any future attempts to matchmake. Afterwards, Tyson had collapsed on to the floor and fell asleep, and Kai still suspected him to be. And for the rest of the team, they didn't get an as harsh punishment, though had a great time working out for hours on end.

Kai smirked, relatively proud of himself for sorting his idiotic team mates out so harshly, and he very much enjoyed the show. The angel-like glow the moon set through the window lit up highlights of his hair momentarily, then slowly but surely, soared away behind the thick, cotton clouds. A quiet, tired sigh left the cracked lips of the phoenix, rolling on to his side in discomfort.

Little by little, his crimson eyes decided to finally rest, closing slowly, then fluttering open again, and this repeated for some time, until finally the darkness stole his conciousness, and brought him to rest his eyelids for a well-deserved sleep.

"Mm, ah," A sweet melody of mumbles rattled his sleeping-trail, and he stirred quietly at the sudden noise of the girl. Sighing, he rolled on to his other side to try again for sleep. There was silence once more, and he felt his eye lids slowly slip in to closure...

"Mugh. Where's my teddy... Kai.. be my teddy." His eye lids flung open, his eyebrows raising in question. Here we go again.

For a moment he stared in complete darkness, hugging the sheets of the bed. Unsure why himself, he decided to listen out for more of her talk. It troubled him that for some reason he was always the victim in her obnoxious sleep-talking habit. Every mention of him brought her voice to soften, though had a slight comical tint as though she saying it with such emotion.

Minutes on, and nothing. He sighed again. His crimson eyes were sore, straining to stay open so he rested them. It was only meant to be for a moment, however once his black, slender eyelashes touches his under-eye, he felt the need to finally sleep.

"Raine... I'm so sorry... I need you." A saddened, gentle tone escaped from her watery mouth, the tremble from her lips vibrating and blending in with her tone, creating a fearful beg. Kai's eye lids flinched, but remained closed, with the same cold and peaceful expression on his thin face. Inside, he was somewhat confused. It was unexpected, but for some reason was awfully familiar. _Raine... _The name rang through his mind like a church bell recognising midnight. 'Recognize... yes... that's right...' Raine was her old team mate.

"Zack...Taro...don't leave the room." The same shaken voice slipped from her lips. _Zack and Taro... _The phoenix recognized those names as the two other members of her team. But what did this mean? Why was she dreaming about them? Kai tightened his eyes. She had never talked about them before in her sleep. He wondered if she was dreaming, but her words were so full of life. So clear, affectionate, full of hurt and love for her team. He could only wonder what was going on inside her head.

Fern's face screwed up, as though she was trying to remember something. Trying to think of something that had happened. Forcing a memory to pull through even though it was holding back and refusing to break through... she was was fighting in her sleep. He listened to her breathing... her increasing breathing.

_A 12-year old boy named Zack flung his fishing rod through the depths of the shadowy river, the blue reflection casting upon his happy face. The river sparkled like a diamond, as the heat of the sun sprinkled it's radiant light in to the slowly flowing water. His surroundings were beautiful, almost dream-like and enchanting like a mysterious fairy-tale land. There was the artful green trees, long, juicy grass, and the graceful spray of the river. Just a typical village in Japan._

_For a few seconds he watched the rings of vibrated water settle on top of the surface where his rod had freely pushed through. His eyes emoted up and down the river, the sprays of water caressing his pale and satisfied skin._

_A red-haired girl ran towards him, with the same wide smile he always knew. Her sparkling green eyes possessed the same old 'I'm happy to see you' glisten, that he never got tired of. "Hey Zack, caught anything yet?" She grinned, flashing him a cheeky face._

_The sun caught the stripes of black highlights in the boy's hair, eliminating them to glow just like his care-free face. He laughed. "It takes time, and that's coming from an expert."_

_Fern laughed, purposely running in to him. "Pig-head!" Zack nuzzled her scalp playfully with his fist, completing forgetting about his rod and sharing her laughter as the two began to take turns in messing up each other's hair._

_"HEY! Stop it Zack!" She giggled, swatting his hands away from her. He ignored her, and continued as he grabbed her head close to his skinny chest, locking her arms and head in his embrace so she couldn't escape._

_The giggling continued, under the perfect blue sky and perfect day, perfect time and perfect place. Life was_ perfect.

_"Geez, you guys should just get married." Zack abruptly loosened his grip, his midnight eyes gazing in the direction from where the familiar, teasing voice had came from. He smiled._

_Fern blushed, squeezing from his slack grip on her whilst her red, moisturised face didn't fail to hide. "Shut your mouth Raine!" She flustered, glaring at her 11-year old friend._

_Her bantering team mate curved her red lips in to a freshly-peeled smile. Raine had luminously dark, gingery pink hair, and an unusually large pointy black fringe that Fern would always use to win an argument. Or banter if they weren't so serious. Teasing was their game._

_The smouldering girl placed her hands on her hips to settle her flushed face so Raine couldn't taunt her. "Pff. You're only jealous, odd-hair!" Fern laughed. Raine looked hurt at her childish banter._

_"Oh yeah, odd-eyes!" Raine teased._

_Fern huffed. "And proud."_

_"I'm proud of my odd hair!"_

_The two girls came to a sudden silence, and stared in to the opposite eyes in thought. The gazing proceeded, the edges of their lips nudging slightly as though they wanted to curve. Suddenly secure, unforceful smiles swayed over their faces, then their mouths opened, and a hysteric laughter burst from their lips._

_They ran towards each other, their arms wide and forgiving until their bodies collided in to a strong hug. Giggling still evaded from their mouths, and the hug lasted a few seconds before Fern broke it apart._

_Zack stared in amusement. "Girls..." He mumbled sarcastically._

_Fern and Raine spun around and glared at their captain, still with a smirk. "You know it." Raine smiled._

_The brown-haired boy let rip a masculine chuckle. He raised one of his brows coolly. "I know it." Fern and Raine raised their brow sarcastically and rolled their eyes. They ran towards Zack, both slapping their hand on each of his shoulders and leaving them there. He laughed nervously. "What?"_

_Suddenly their faces fell, replacing with a serious and shocked expression. Zack frowned. "Seriously, what?" They looked traumatized._

_"Whatever you do. Do...not...move..." Raine assured darkly, her eyes flashing with such fear he began to feel it himself._

_The girls kept him still for a few seconds, concealed with clouds of fear throughout their taunting and believable eyes. He assumed something truly terrifying and beyond belief had just arose behind him, and for those few moments that they kept him waiting, his heartbeat quickened that little bit faster..._

_"RAWWW!" Startled, Zack jumped in fright when he felt something grasp around his back, the weight bending his body forward. An alarmed cry croaked from his mouth, as he was throttled towards the floor and only just managing to keep his balance as he shot his hand out on to the stony ground before he could fall._

_"Argh!" Zack's shaking, widened eyes set forth on the two hysterical girls in front of him, though strangely they were laughing. It only just sunk in to his head that the loud 'rawww' was awfully familiar, and almost immediately pictured a certain little rascal in his mind. _

_A little, green-haired monkey-looking boy jumped from Zack's back, his two feet landing gracefully on the ground without sweat. Zack slowly began to restore his body, starting with clasping his knees for support then eventually tucked his arms behind his head. He shot a mean glare through his midnight eyes at Taro, a green-eyed 10 year old boy who didn't rest until his pranks were tested then tried on the pros. And Zack being the pig-headed airhead, he was the perfect target._

_"You should see your face!" Fern laughed, pointing at Zack's resentful face who just stared back looking bemused._

_"Oh baby! Zack zilch, me one!" Taro chanted, jumping in between Raine and Fern._

_Zack gaped. "Where the hell did you come from?" He stared doubtfully, before mumbling,"Stupid green baboon."_

_Raine and Fern laughed._

Something about this girl questioned his own thoughts. It was somewhat ironic to have met Fern through their upcoming opponents. Since thinking from the very depths of his mind and pushing as much thought forward as possible, there was almost something hidden and ready to be opened deep within his analysis.

He had felt this feeling trying to push through for ages, though he never succeeded once Fern had grabbed his attention. A slight throb, contaminating pain of realization was on the extreme verge of becoming accessible, and even though he tried hard to capture this thought he just couldn't. But there was something. Something not right and if his instincts were correct, it involved Fern. Why was she battling the Blade Warriors? Even he knew it wasn't like them to just pick a random battle... when they were pretty distant and unrevealing themselves. It made him wonder if, though was a very conventional thought, that perhaps a little something else was going on.

_Inside a small Japanese home, four excited children sat in a circle on padded floor cushions. Each one of them held a particular different beyblade, and on the subject of beyblading, they needed a good, rememberable name for their newly found team. They had been training together as friends for a simple spot of fun, and, having been together for quite a while and even fellow villagers had commented they could be the next big thing as their team work was incredible, they had finally decided to come up with the perfect team name. Though, part of that reason was because of the upcoming Japanese Tournament they were all very excited about._

_Fern's long, red hair glided through the air as the wind from the opened door bristled through, a very nice and comforting air as the hot, razor-sharp sun glowed unanimously in the blue heaven. She laughed blissfully at the daft and reckless names bursting from a 9 year old Zack's mouth._

_"EW! I don't think 'the bogey bums' is a very nice name!" Raine cried, hugging her two knees that were scrunched up to her body._

_Taro cut in happily. "My Daddy says one day when I grow up I'll be a giant eagle and the greatest beyblader ever!" The green-haired boy wore a cute matching green long-sleeved kimono with zori sandles._

_His friends began giggling. "You're not an eagle, silly! When you grow up you'll be a very tall Taro." Fern puffed in between her squeaky giggles. She rolled on to her stomach playfully, and used her two palms to cup her chin for head support. She wore a beautiful, short, red dress, with thick, dark purple tights hiding her pale legs. Her bare feet tapped on the straw floor merrily along with her continuous giggles._

_Taro shook his head in protest. "No! I'm not really going to be an eagle! But he told me that I'm really young now, like young birds that can't fly properly. But when young birds grow to be bigger bird their wings grow and they can fly. Then when I grow bigger my wings will grow too. That's what daddy told me, I'll fly to victory like an eagle."_

_Raine grinned. "Awww, that's really cute. But Fern promised I could be the eagle!" She moaned childishly, playing with the red string that fastened together her flowery T-shirt and skirt._

_"I didn't mean that eagle!" Taro exclaimed, beating Fern to the next word._

_"I did not! I said you can come and visit me! Then you can see Aquila, and all of you can come too." Fern smiled, a tone of seriousness draining from her voice._

_Zack facefaulted. "Stop talking about... dying! I hate it!" He shivered, clasping his ears as though trying to keep the word away and curled in to a ball. His simple blue Jinbei clothes creased with his actions._

_"Zack I'm not talking about dying! Don't you see, it's complet-"_

_He interrupted. "It's different to you but not to us! Shut up!" He cried angrily, rocking his body back and fourth in dismay. The girl bowed her head, a hurtful expression taking over. He suddenly looked up at Fern, with a thoughtful gaze grasping hers. "Hey... I think I've got it! Stars! We can be called stars because we're all going to be stars, aren't we Fern?"_

_For a moment the children looked around at each other, then Raine, Taro and Zack's gaze cast on to Fern knowingly. They all smiled. "Yeah Fern, you're the one who got their bit-beast first so we can have a team name for Fern. We have a dream to be the best star bladers ever and every blader needs a secret team name no one will get apart from us! It can have two meanings!" Zack announced intellectually._

_The team burst in to wild cheer and agreement, mouths wide and stimulating and hands flailing everywhere. Fern sat up and blushed slightly, quite honoured her team wanted to dedicate their team name to her, and also something they wanted to achieve for future reference. "Stars sounds a bit too boring. I know it's not boring to us but we could add a word in front..." Fern's face brightened. "I know! The Dark Stars! It's perfect! Our element is darkness."_

_Raine punched her fist through the air. "I LOVE IT!" Her mouth widened in to a slight giggle of victory, and Zack and Taro cheered to, over-excited at their new team name like happy and normal children would be. Numerous high five's swept the room, as though their team name had already reached a famous triumph._

"We're going to spread our wings until we reach the stars," Fern mumbled quietly in her sleep, when suddenly she flung upright in alarm, her eyes wide and breathing noticeably heavy. The girl nervously sat there, her breathing slowly lowering when her eyes came in contact with the familiar bedroom she had known to have fallen asleep in.

Her throttling heart began to settle, within remembering where she was, though wasn't in the place she thought she would be. She closed her eyes and leant her head back, taking time to let her sudden surprise wake-up sink in..

Seconds later her memorising dream bounced back in to her mind, disappointingly coming to realize it was only just that. A dream. A _memory._

She came to realize almost straight away the words she had knowingly mumbled in her sleep had came from her mouth and wasn't apart of her desiring dream, as they were too _real_, unlike the tape her head had played that night. She wondered what had brought her to whisper those words that she seemed to remember so well, over many other things that had happened in her past. She guessed it was probably because that moment was one of the greatest moments she had settled dearly in her memory, something treasured so much that the sport of beyblading was only equally important to it, if not, overpassing.

Eyes wide, she tumbled out of bed and rested her two bare feet on the carpet, quickly taking a note to see Kai was already up despite Max and Ray still being fast asleep, and she quickly slipped on her slippers and stood up directly. She began to search frantically through the bed-side drawer, only just remembering something that would be an important event for the day. She finally found what she was looking for, and mindfully grabbed a piece of notepaper, carelessly crumpling it up in her hands as the anger reached her actions.

_Meet in the hills_

_Thursday_

_Six_

_Be there_

It was today. The chilling note she had unwillingly received from the leader of the ruthless Blade Warriors. She tried not to let herself take it as a threat, and instead sighed hopelessly, shoving it back in to her drawer while her eyes stayed locked on to Max and Ray. Despite having doubts she needed to be totally acknowledged of the Blade Warrior's next move, and the only way to know was to see them...

Her eyes shifted quickly back in to the draw, and before she could stop herself she grabbed Black Pele from the draw in anger.

She glanced at the clock, then sighed. Only 10 hours, 55 minutes and 60 seconds to go...

Snow bristled over the spiky grass, and the once bright sky gorged in to a whirlwind of surrounding clouds and a fresh wind blew over her face. It looked sad, almost dark enough to seem ironically depressing for her purpose of standing in the huge area of grass, topped with high hills and the smell of the grey sea.

She was waiting.

Within the next few minutes, her fears were answered when four ruthless and unprofessional figures appeared from the top of the closest hill. She immediately scowled, dropping her shoulders to erase any unease. They spotted her easily, casting their dreadful gaze on to her that created a storm of fire to burn up within her stomach. Her anger couldn't suppress, those were the guys who were out to betray her team. She couldn't let that happen.

Everything seemed to flash before her eyes, and without noticing they circled in front of her, eyes serious and unwelcoming. A glimpse of fiery light shone within their eyes, full of greed and totally merciless. Her boots unknowingly slid backwards, as their eyes collided and nothing but hate and anguish was shown throughout their striking collision.

Flint suddenly smiled at her, his dark brown hair swaying softly in the wind. "Hi Fern."

Something inside her suddenly snapped, a feeling of much hatred her face almost boiled like a kettle. "Shut up! This is not a friendly meeting!"

"I know," He frowned suddenly. Alex, Rio and Sam followed, their lips freezing with solid frowns. Her face grimaced in to a tighter loathe of these guys.

"Then what do you want!"

Alex pushed back his groomed, blue hair. "We're just making sure you know what to do, sweetie. Wouldn't want you slipping up now, do we?"

His sly tone made her cringe. "Well...I... I'm going to give you back Black Pele. I..I..."

Flint raised his brow at her repeated words.

"I..."

"My instincts tell me you're bluffing," Rio snared.

"Then your instincts are wrong! I've got her right here!" Fern cried, launching her hand in to her pocket and snatching the orange and black blade from it. She held it out in front of them, gritting her teeth. For a moment the Blade Warriors stared at the blade in her hand as though moved at her words, until their lips began to tremble in to a cackling, disbelieving laugh.

Her face dropped. "What... What!? I'm serious you stupid bastards!"

Flint let his laugh die down before speaking to her again. "Ahah... Fern, you're one hell of a girl. I love it when girls try to act brave."

Pale skin blew up in to a hot inferno, the ice below their feet having the reflection of the hot fire of anger in her face. "Ignorant... I can't believe you..." Truly astonished by their self-interest minds, her unfinished words stopped abruptly. A bomb had blasted within her head, an evil entity had unlocked her shielded bravery and entered a forbidden zone within her mind. Her thoughts.

'Fern... Fern, Fern, Fern. You know you want me,' The voice of the unwanted being echoed like a tunnel, something wicked and unforgiving scenting like a drug in her wide-mind. Her mouth dropped unexpectedly, a great fear within her being fed poison words that weakened her head, until nothing but agonising pain tore her mind apart with five simple words.

'You know you want me.'

"ARGH!" Fern collapsed in to the snow and held her head tightly, as though holding on for her life. The nervous patella bone broke apart and she fell to her knees, keeping the girl from standing or making any other movement apart from swaying her head from side to side trying to erase Satan's voice from her mind. "NO! NO! NO! GO AWAY! GO AWAY!"

From the back of her mind, a snicker swept the air. Reality and her mind were too different to interfere with, and that's exactly what Black Pele was doing, and she knew it despite her unawareness. Her mind was confused, apart of it dripping with violence and something deadly she had never experienced before. Something wrong and murderous, that part of someone that was only opened once set to the very limit, though stayed hidden within every person from life until death.

The urge to kill.

Her eyes shot open. "KILL!?"

The snicker roared again, this time followed by a totally new voice. "Yeah, that's the idea. Not unless you want to though," Rio's voice overheard her body. She came to realize that the pain had suddenly vanished. The voice was gone, for now.

Standing to her feet, Fern wiped away a frightful tear that had managed to mingle in her eye. Her teeth snapped together, a growling escaping her angry breath and she jumped back away from the team, dropping Black Pele on to the floor in a rage. "GET AWAY! THIS IS JUST BEYOND... EVERYTHING! What do you mean, kill!? Why does Black Pele want me to feel that emotion? It's not me, I'm not supposed to kill!"

"Hey-"

"NO! You listen for a second. Let's just get this straight!" They all listened. "Everyone is born with every possible emotion there is, fear, anger, love, happiness, even the emotion to kill! It's beyond rage, I assure you. But depending on how their lives develop, one particular deadly emotion is released. Depress being one, but killing is surely the worst! I was born happily and until now I know the emotion to kill is forbidden to be apart of how I act. Black Pele can't just unlock it like that! It's messing with my head, idiots!"

Sam shook his head, his pale orange hair bouncing with the movement. "It's your choice whether you kill or not. That was just to let you know what we'd do if you decided to deny us."

Fern's mouth shot open in question. "WHAT? You're just... evil! Go to hell the lot of you! The devil must have spat you out of your mother's wombs!"

Alex frowned. "Some insult. Heh heh. Why don't we start over again this time? Why we're here..." The devilish boy began to wander his eyes away from her and shot them on to Flint to carry on his words. Flint just nodded impassively. They communicated almost unknowingly, a strange glow of something similar to respect dangling somewhere in between their movements.

Flint took a sip of air, caressing his growlish throat free from cold. "You know what you have to do. Take the bitbeasts if we don't succeed. There is something else. I expect you're not going to be competing in the tournament?" No answer, so he drawled on. "You'll stand a better chance of retrieving those animals if you're actually up and going in the tournament yourself."

Her eyes widened, and he just smirked. "So Fern, we'll make this as easy as possible. Launch Black Pele against one of your team mates."

"WHAT!?" Her voice croaked, shock crying through her disgusted mouth.

"You heard me," Flint picked up Black Pele from the ground, consciously shoving it in her face for her to take. Without thinking, she grabbed it. "Preferably one of your weakest members, more of a opportunity for us. That should keep them knocked out for a few days and they'll miss the tournament gladly, leaving a space and no doubt about it they'll ask pretty old you to take the place; otherwise they'll be desperate for victory. And of course, it'll give you a little experience taking bit-beasts, yeah?"

The little colour in Fern's face completely drained, the red hot anger reaching an incredible scolding white. She couldn't believe what was being fed to her, it was poisonous and extremely deadly. "You're... you must be lying! Launching Black Pele at someone is bound to kill them!" The girl cried abruptly, tightening her grip on the blade as her hateful words slipped through. The strange entity that aired around the blade slipped through her pale skin, bubbling up a strange liking to the blade. Her mind couldn't understand it.

"You should trust me. I wouldn't risk anyone's life. I assure you they will be simply knocked out for a couple of days," Flint smiled, a black spark glistening through his eyes. Apart of Fern assumed he was lying, but why did she want to believe him? It was almost as though she had two personalities in one head, both fighting to take over her mind like a game. To them, all this was, was a _game._

'Even if I refuse and try to fight it there's Black Pele waiting in the background ready to pour her crap in to my head,' The girl's head pounded in fear. She felt physically sick, the bitterness of worry plastering her insides.

'Mistress, I've just had a thought,' Werex entered the girl's mind for support. Fern listened desperately. "I can't know if Flint's lying or not but from your thoughts you seem fairly confident he is. Don't let Black Pele buzz over that belief. You need to stay focused. But I don't think they have carefully considered this. With Black Pele in your hands now, what makes them think you won't launch that blade in the stadium? So, _go on_. Threaten them back.'

A sneaky smirk spread as wide as wings across Fern's face, taking a note to their confused glares. "You're not so smart. I've fought off Black Pele before. What if my rage overflows and comes to a point where I wish to launch Black Pele in the stadium against you, if I were to compete?"

For a second of a moment Alex, Rio and Sam almost looked rather worried, until Flint hopelessly grovelled his nose loudly with a snort of annoyance. "Don't make me laugh. If you want to risk losing your friends then be my guest."

Fern lunged her chest forward in protest. "Idiot! Do you really think I'm that stupid? What do you mean!?"

"It's a thing that us criminals do, probably nothing you're known to do so I suggest you do as we say before you get all clever on us. Sam is excellent at this," Flint took a moment to glance over at his silent orange-haired team mate, then danced his eyes selfishly back on to her. "We can make out you were the baddie all along."

"What!?"

"It's called _framing_," Sam snickered, loving the sound of his own boyish voice. Alex and Flint smirked and exchanged glances when Fern gaped at the teens in abash. Every word that steamed from their mouths seemed to collapse in to something more pathetic each time, but she knew she couldn't take them for granted; if they had to, they would probably frame her.

"So then, _dark wolf... _you know what to do. Heh heh heh. This will be sweet. The souls of the Bladebreakers. How truly dirty," Rio smirked, clasping a mocking hand on to Fern's shoulder. The girl flinched, her green eyes stretching in defence as she swatted his dirty hand away from her.

"I won't do it! I won't! I'll prove you all wrong!" Fern cried hellishly, taking a needed step back and flailing her hands in front of her worriedly with the deadly blade attached to her fingers.

"Hm. You say that now, but you know you will. If you're so sure you won't, why are you still holding Black Pele so tightly?" Flint laughed. Fern stared at him horrifically, then slowly glanced down at the destructive blade in her palm. Why was he right? She couldn't bring herself to let go. Something was stopping her. "Besides, Black Pele won't give in to someone like yourself. She could fight for the universe."

Fern puffed disgustedly. "What do you mean someone like myself?"

"You're nothing but an animal, Fern," Flint glared at her motionlessly. Her face turned to stone sickeningly, an electrifying wall dismissing her to speak. Disbelief rattled continuously through her eyes.

"WHAT! How dare you! That's twisted! The truth is that we're all animals Flint, but you proceed to deny it! And you know nothing, and I mean NOTHING about my communication with the bit-beasts. You have only seen, you don't know what is going on in our minds!" Fern screamed.

Flint pulled a hurt expression, through a sweat of mockery. "Humph. I've seen enough already to know you're... well... weird?"

"The only weird one here is you. You've already wasted plenty of my time and the others will be wondering where I am, so shove off, I'm going back to my friends!" Her words released at a angry fast pace.

Alex nodded distinctly. "Enjoy them while you still can. Until then, keep Black Pele close."

Fern grinned sarcastically. "Oh, you know what they say. Keep friends close. But keep your enemies even closer..."

Flint laughed dismissively, successfully keeping up with her cheap shots. His intimidating eyes drew closer, taking a step further until he was only inches away from Fern's face. Her face remained stern, gulping down her fear confidently. "Trust me, you don't want me as an enemy."

"You _are_ my enemy, all of you. You're close enough," Fern struck back, closing the gap between them. "And I'm watching you closely. You don't want me as an enemy either. You're going down in the first round." The tornado of hard breathing dribbled down her neck, her shoulders squeezing upwards slightly at the cringing feeling. Her eyes clasped his and all of a sudden a collision exploded between the two, that exceeded in to a staring contest.

Flint's chocolate eyes slung down on to her, looking almost slightly awakened by her stand. He hadn't ever witnessed Fern react to him so bravely, in fact, she was probably one of the few who had stood up to him before.

After the intense frenzy of their eyes had settled, Fern stepped back towards the direction she wanted to walk away, and kept her eyes focused on to each Blade Warrior. Flint almost laughed. "Not if Black Pele gets you first."

_"Not if Black Pele gets you first."_

Her head pounded. That same, twisted, corrupted spell Black Pele cast upon her weakening mind. "URGHH! Get out of my head!" She held her head manically, trying to ease off the rasping chuckles that hollowed from her competitors. She _had _to get out of there. Before she went mad.

She wrangled her head and hastily ran to affirm her sanity.

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**Yayez! It's done! Okay after this chapter, the story will tend to escalate and take another twist and turn(that you will not expect) so enjoy the easiness to understand while it lasts... grins **

**I'd appreciate it very much if you sent a quickie. As in a review. O.o**


	23. Secrets of Panacea

**I hope everyone had a good chrimbo, and a happy new year! Wow... 2007.. where does time go... **

**Tyson: I certainly did!! Me and the guys had a big new years party! Well, all apart from Kai...shame he couldn't make it... apparently he was spending the night with Fern.**

**Fern: o.o Wha!? We were?**

**Kai/Shhh/ Any excuse to get him off my back...**

**Fern:( Oh. /getting my hopes up/**

**U¬¬ Anyway... IT'S THE EVIL CHAPTER! Where things get just a little bit more confusing (Lucky you). So, enjoy enjoy enjoy peeps!**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 23- Secrets of Panacea**

Kai woke to a shadowy sheet of darkness. The only sound heard was the distant snoring of his team mates. In a usual gesture, he sat up, rubbed his eyelids, but before he could throw his body back on to the mattress, he noticed something. At the end of the bed, lay an empty pillow.

'She's gone Dranzer.'

'Where could she have gone?' The bird questioned.

He pondered for a moment. 'I know. I think I know where she went. That _place_ she goes. The place I just can't seem to work out.'

'Then go look for her,' Dranzer urged in a whisper, considering it was still late.

A quick dust bunny rolled knowingly through his thought shield. He didn't even have to think about this one; she was gone, and she wasn't in the next room either because it was too quiet. And in God's name, she wasn't _quiet. _Something else urged him to slip out of bed and look for her, the mystery of where she was, and of course, he knew exactly where to look. That little place in the hills. It came across as a chance or perhaps if he didn't want to seem too concerned, an excuse to go and look for her.

He carefully noted it was midnight by the face of the clock, and angrily scowled. The final was tomorrow. What on earth was she doing out of bed so late anyway?

He took a deep breath, then blew it out smoothly. He quickly pulled on his pants and vest as quietly as he could, and without looking back slipped out of the hotel door, unheard and unseen.

Tears splattered her pink cheeks, her green eyes quivering sadly with sparkles of wetness drowning her orbs. Her lips blubbered as her tears slipped inside her mouth, but ignored it doubtfully and ran across the icy grass with no signs of dignity left within her exposed eyes. Still grieving and dangerously worried about what had happened with the Blade Warriors earlier, she had no other choice but to seek support from her... _secret _friends.

Mentally, she could feel her body falling apart and the little self-respect she had for herself felt like it had been stolen away from her; the same feeling as when she had to leave her old team. Her confidence was shattered, and her heart yet again left another unrepairable hole.

She frantically charged towards the feathery, snow-branched trees and dreamily vanished inside, leaving a trail of footprints through the crumbled snow.

Kai paced down the dark streets of New York, hands in pocket, head in to thinking mode and he noticed the more he wondered where she was, the faster his pace proclaimed and after that there was no stopping him. He glanced swiftly in to the black night sky, momentarily watching the falling snowflakes which appeared to be falling out of no where. Just a black hole in the sky.

Numerous white stars glowed throughout the winter sky, blending with the snowflakes though it was possible to tell them apart; the dots that reminded him of _that_ night him and Fern spent under the stars together made his heat quicken, and at that moment he abruptly stopped, crimson eyes wide. A thought hit his mind, more like a promise to himself.

'Fern and I agreed that, that night was forbidden to happen again. And it won't- my reputation is way too important. I have no time for her, and she needs to concentrate on the damn tournament! ...I hate myself for knowing this but it's the truth... but we really need her support...'

He shook his head trying to remove that thought and shifted it to the depths of his over-whelming mind, and concentrated on what was in front of him. The stars twinkled over the mountains of hills, some unusually brighter than others. White and glossy, the rays seemed to combine together, meeting each other and casting a complete ray of light over something unknown in the distance.

His eyebrows raised. It looked peculiar, as though that spot was highlighted for a reason. As though angels had picked it out as something important and hallowed it in great puffy light in an attempt to protect. _Fern._

Stony slush began to clatter against Kai's trousers when he began to run along the beach, suddenly unable to retain his need to follow that radiant light. Perhaps it was a sign. Perhaps it was just _there. _But he had a feeling, it would lead him to Fern.

Using his memory to lead him through the hills, he didn't once stop running as he tangled in and out around the hills, until-

A beautiful field was unleashed. Kai's amazement didn't fail to hide as his bones were stroked with such a sensation he stopped running abruptly as soon as his eyes caught what he was looking for. His feet stood in a large space of field, dragging on for yards and yards until at the very bottom a circle of trees stood solitary, all alone and frosty with whites feathers of snow caressing their branches.

He glanced up in to the black sky. The blaze of white light witnessed from before stopped here; and shielding over the trees, was one luminous ray of silver sparkles that conducted from the suns above. He suddenly felt his heart quicken, and took one small step in hesitation. Eyes following the scenery once more, he tried to allow the shock of seeing such a graceful landscape sink in, though the ship just wouldn't sink. His mind floated unknowingly, and before he knew it himself, he began to walk across the frozen grass whilst gazing around, still oblivious to everything around him.

It looked different in the dark.

His voice was lost initially once he reached the trees. He glanced inside at first, and from what he could see there was a few layers of trees, perhaps three or four rows, though the large leaves and branches hid the goings on beyond well.

The trickling of a waterfall exposed to his ears, and his heart thumped tremendously in anxiety. This was it. No more secrets, no more lies. It all ends here. After two weeks of accusations, he trembled at the thought of finding out why Fern came here. Was it good? Was it bad? What this place really was. The mystery was unfolding, yet something was definitely not right. His conscience told him to stay away. Well away. But his urge to uncover what lied inside was overwhelming. He just _had_ to know.

Momentarily he stopped and thought. He had came all of this way and now he decides to turn around and go back? No. That wasn't the Kai Hiwatari he or anyone else knew.

Slowly, he grabbed on to one of the thin trunks of the trees, and dragged himself inside despite his doubts. Everything was dark. Sudden whispers and unrecognisable voices bellowed quietly through the air he breathed. Eyes watchful and focused, he slid through the trees as quietly as possible, the large, bristly leaves rubbing against his body and once the ice caught his arms, he immediately squeezed his eyes shut to erase the pain.

The voices became louder. Mumbles, though quite clear, as though they were _so_ close. The angel-like voices grunged throughout his mind, more sophisticated until he felt he could relate to them. He felt it now. He was close-

And then he stopped as he came to the end. The voices once heard came to a silence.

An almost blessed sanctuary lay before him; it was like a new world opened in front of his very eyes. The girl he was looking for stared back in horror. She looked worried; very worried. And that wasn't a surprise, seeing as he was indeed shaken lightly by what she had been hiding. The red-haired girl was sat leant down on her knees, and in front of her rested a peaceful, calm pool of twinkling water that was the centre of the place. Green wrinkles rested over the water, reflecting from the leaves that surrounded the area.

Running down in to it from the edge of the cliff, was a light waterfall, the twinkling sound briefing the area with a sense of harmony, peace.

"...F..F..Fern... What is this place?" He managed to ask, though was still indulged in the scenery so much he could hardly look at her. For the moment he just couldn't let his eyes waste any time he had in exploring this place. Though small, it was certainly something of a hidden beauty in the world. Why would a place like this be hidden? It was clear it possessed something unnatural; but the tenderness it left was probably too ancient, perhaps too harmless to be released in to a world where nothing but destruction and useless humanity lied.

He took a further step into the space around him, leaving a loud crunch from under his feet. He glanced below him to see the grass was piled under fresh snow, though strangely, he came to realize it wasn't... cold. In fact everything seemed warm and comforting, something he couldn't quite lay his finger on.

"Kai..." Fern stared at Kai. It was a shock to her that he had suddenly arrived unexpected. What now? She knew there was nothing to hide anymore...

She looked him up and down, noticing his still-state of shock. She smiled to herself. He, like she had been when she first found the place, had been moved by it's unusual and strange beauty. It had a strange warmness to it- it felt protective, as though if anything was to happen, this place would be your protector. That quality sang out to her when she had discovered the place- and now it's not only hers. She suddenly decided she wanted to share this magnificent place. And to who?

'Kai.' That's who. A place with such beauty needed to be taught to the world to show what went on under all of the wars and to the people who she could trust. She trusted him. So he deserved to see it.

Kai's handsome face began to replace back to a less-concerned pose, and he cast his gaze on to Fern who was continuing to be pampered by the milky white light. His face was powdered with some of the travelling light, turning his skin as pale as snow and his hair blended with the light, creating a soft, sky-blue presence around him that made Fern's heart quicken slightly. Even when in doubt, she couldn't refrain her fondness of Kai.

"Do you like it?" She asked, her pink lips flashing him a smile.

His face softened, a look of concern spreading across, though at the same time his cheekbones seemed to want to smile. A smile he couldn't refuse, because this place was worth it. "What is this place?" He asked, his voice gentle and understanding.

"Well, I guess now you've seen it I'll just have to show you," The girl smirked, standing up and beginning to walk towards Kai, until their faces were only inches from each other.

He felt his legs turn to jelly. _Almost_. "...Show me? What do you mean?"

She gazed in to his dark eyes. He felt his body suddenly freeze when he caught her gaze caressing his face, her gorgeous, crafty green eyes suddenly giving him a new strength. But at the same time he felt ever so weak. So unfocused, he steadily allowed his crimson eyes to stare unconsciously back in to hers.

"The time is right," She smiled. Kai blinked, then raised his eyebrows. His eyes widened when she grabbed his wrist, turned around and dragged him along with her back towards the pool. He bit his tongue, and deliberately allowed her to drag him without using his own feet.

"Fern..." Kai moaned, as she stopped directly in front of the pool. He stood beside her, slightly behind, and folded his arms. "Who were you talking to before? I heard voices... at least it sounded like yours."

Fern turned and faced him, the gentle waves of the water splashing the snowy edges of the grass in the background. "I was talking to bit-beasts Kai."

He looked slightly confused, his face demanding a further explanation. "...What did you say?"

He watched, very skeptical as she simply shrugged casually. "Communicating with bit-beasts. Easier for you to understand?" She smirked.

"What... what do you mean? How is that mentally possible?" The phoenix shook his head lightly, and squinted his eyes as he thought deeper in to her outburst. "But... that's just not possible. I don't understand." Then it hit him. That night once again flung back in to his mind, and immediately he found a definite match. Fern had mentioned Trinity. Aquila. Tien-Long. The so called protectors she had.

He shook his head again. It still didn't make sense. Ever since she had told him, apart of him didn't want to believe it, yet strangely he did even though how bizarre it sounded. But talking to them? He couldn't even talk to Dragoon or Draciel, so what made her so different?

His confusion was genuine, and Fern found herself smiling at him as though she was enjoying his thoughts. It didn't take a genius to work out what he was thinking about. _How_ was it possible.

"I just can," Fern almost laughed. In reality she hadn't expected him to act so surprised. Well, maybe a little, but Kai? No, he was always the dedicated and sensible one. He'd always find a logical explanation. It looked like this time she truly had him bewildered.

Strands of hair fell from his head as he quickly dashed it around, taking in the appearance of the sanctuary once more. His guess was that this place had something to do with what she was talking about.

"The bit-beasts call it Panacea," Fern said, staring at him. He immediately shot his gaze back on to her.

"Excuse me?"

"That's what this place is called. Panacea. Don't tell me you thought a place like this didn't have a name?" Fern giggled slightly, Kai dropping his mouth as she did so. "Your face is priceless Kai. It's a shame I didn't bring my trusty camera."

His face scrunched up painfully like a little ill puppy. For a change, he wasn't totally understanding something and it was his turn to pout. He used the tip of his finger to scratch the side of his face awkwardly, which Fern saw as a cute gesture for him to deliver. "Doesn't.. Panacea mean... Uhmmm..."

Fern watched him attentively, fluttering her eyelashes accidentally which she hoped he didn't mistake for something else. She was amazed. He was actually struggling with words. "What?"

"Doesn't it mean to heal? A sort of remedy to cure all disease or heal the sick?" He asked, now rubbing the back of his head.

The red head tilted her head to the side thoughtfully- then smiled. "It does."

For a second Kai stared at her, his face contented and exposed then after a moment, he give his lips a push and rippled them at the side, so only part of his teeth were showing. His left eye grew wide, while his right stayed small and focused. "Right... so what were you doing here again?" He asked in disbelief, his confusion and surprise still ahead of himself as he still truly did not believe anything he was hearing. It was too weird. Since when did Bit-beasts name things? And since when did girls talk to bit-beasts? Since when did ordinary bit-beasts protect weird girls!?

Fern laughed slightly. "Kai! Don't be so cocky! I'm taking a huge risk here telling you this, so you have to respect everything I tell you. I actually want to tell you." She pondered for a second, and tilted her head once more. "Actually, it's better if I show you."

"Huh?" Kai watched as Fern leant down beside the pool, directly facing the waterfall. His eyes watched curiously as the girl's serene movements possessed him to be as patient and gentle as she was. 'What on earth is she doing...'

"Watch," Fern proceeded to stare in to the cliff wall that shadowed over the waterfall, staring at it to no end. As though it had no end. Like she could see straight through it, her face was so composed and peaceful he felt his heart quicken. He was baffled by her actions. Just what was she up to? The question repeated curiously throughout his mind, until to his complete and utter amazement, he witnessed a fresh peal of silver glow emerge from the cliff wall.

A silver stream of light banished from the rocks, sparkles and electricity brewing from the storm of light, as it twirled and danced around to take it's final form and shape. Kai stood as still as a post- his face almost drained with colour and stared on in astonishment. He had no idea what was going on, but he found himself liking it. The waves of energy circled around him for a while, and he slapped his hand through to steal a quick feel of the astonishing light.

It finally formed into a splash, and he could finally see something emerging out of the light... or from the light. The shape of a head shifted from the light; a head of an animal. The remaining strands of electric washed away to establish a body, then finally gained hands and feet, totalling into an enormous life form, something along the lines of a giant fox. The creature had sharp ears, unusually long, detailed whiskers with silver balls on the ends of each one, and had a long, furry body, complete with a bushy tail that flailed freely through the air as the remaining sparks of light turned in to miniature stars and fell faintly in to the running waterfall.

Kai stood back, gazing in complete amusement at the show, and his eyes sparkled with movement. He was _moved._ Such a show had him gasping for words, but nothing came out- something as appealing as this couldn't be put in to words- not his words anyway. He hadn't a clue what had just happened.

He blinked. And again.

The tremendous creature exchanged a soft purr in favour for his smile and look of respect he had for this creature within his eyes. The great, silver paws weren't rested against anything, and for a while, floated freely throughout the air, waving it's silver tail and twitching it's cute nose.

His head turned from the fox briefly as Fern began to talk- although it was more of a whisper.

"You okay if I do this just to show him?" She asked to the fox, smiling.

The fox nodded, then closed his bright, diamond eyes gracefully. The two of them held a silence for a few moments. Kai watched in amazed interest. If he was thinking correctly, he wondered whether they were communicating using their minds. It was logical yet too simple, though what did he know? She was just full of surprises. Surprises he would have never of expected... He stared more carefully at the fox. His colour.. it seemed a little drained as though he was sick. Or hurt.

He shook his head repeatedly. 'This is mad. Completely mad. This is much more than I bargained for.'

Something sparked suddenly from Fern's hands. A little red flame, so it seemed, though immediately died out before he could even get chance to see what she was doing. It flamed from her finger tips again. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, concentrating hard.

Suddenly she flung her eyes open in success, smiled, then freely exposed her power from her hands. She spread her hands wider, until her arms were shoulder- width apart. Red and blue radiance shone from her hands, a strange energy zapped directly away from her and seemed to ponder in the air, travelling slow and steadily in a bundle of colours and carefully clumped together.

Kai coughed loudly and fell backwards on to his backside. "WHAT! Are you a witch?"

Fern twitched her nose and remained to keep a straight face, even though how hard it was. "God no Kai!"

His face was a picture, and he continued to watch with his hands slapped on his head which bent his spiky hair downwards. The misty energy-like radiance swirled like a braid through the air, now seeming to have a sense of direction, as it looked to be heading straight towards the silver fox that amazed Kai that it could stay so calm.

The energy finally hit the fox, the numerous particles embracing it caressingly, seeming to be gentle and harmless. Another outburst of light shredded from the collision between the fox and Fern's energy, and the silver beast closed his eyes peacefully while he was pampered with the mysterious light, suspicious in Kai's eyes. It trailed down the fox's giant body, from his head to his feet, covering every single coat of fur possible.

In a flash, the combination of silver, red and blue seemed to suddenly fade and roll in to a form of a pipe, and was drained like a plug, letting off a sun-like blaze that Kai couldn't possibly fight off, so he covered his eyes quickly, determined not to miss a thing. The bit-beast was sucked back in to the rocks, and slowly, the light eventually died down in to nothing. As the last strands of light hit the rocks, a burst of glitter propelled from the remains, and splattered like rain back in to the pond.

Innocence remained. Silence. To even think such a place of harmony could be guilty for magic unknown to man.

Kai uncovered his eyes. For a few moments he stared. The fox was gone. The light was gone. Fern was sat smiling at him. His eyes suddenly burst at her, carrying a cartoon-like gaze. He wanted answers. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

Fern stood up and faced her obnoxious friend. "Did you notice he was hurt? His colour was drained quite badly."

Kai plunged his head forward, his neck remaining still. "How? How! How can you do that?" He cried, sounding slightly angry. He turned his back on her, and marched away from her. "How?" He flung around, swaying his arms above his head. "No... no human can do that. It's abnormal."

Fern sighed sadly. "Listen Kai, I know your freaked out, but I never expected you to take it so.. so... well.. like this, anyway. I am human thank you very much!" She held out her hand as a gesture as she tried to talk, though it was going to be hard. Harder than she expected.

Kai paced quickly towards her again, swung around, then marched away again, keeping this routine up for a while to let his head settle.

"Fern... I know you're human. But do you blame me? It's not something you see every day." He sighed, his voice settling a little though she could see he was still kind of freaked out.

"Kai!" Fern warned, trying to follow him, though he continued to walk back and forth, his hands behind his head. She grabbed his shoulder out of annoyance. "KAI!" He stopped abruptly, and faced the girl.

"Perhaps it'll be better if I tell you a story," She suggested, guiding him back towards the pool with her hands embraced on to his shoulders to prevent him from pulling a freakish outburst again.

"This is no time for stupid fairy-tales!" He complained.

"I'm not going to tell you that type of story..." The corner of her lip perked up slightly as she pushed him down to sit in the grass. It seemed right now he had no control over his actions. It was far too easy for her to just make him sit down. She knew it had gone to his head... that was the side-effect for first-timers. "Well, it may as well be a fairy-tale because..." Her face saddened. "It's daft really. Fairy-tales are daft aren't they..."

He immediately picked up her tone of sadness as she settled down beside him.

"This story might just help you understand more... okay?" She asked. He stared at her hopeful face for a few seconds. She was right. If there was anyway he was going to understand and sleep peacefully tonight, he had no choice but to cooperate. His head slowly nodded.

"Alright," The girl flicked her red hair away from her face, and positioned herself so she was sat on her backside, and the bottom half of her legs were lying to the side. "Okay... Once... upon a time... there was a man." She took a deep breath as she continued. The look of bravery shone unconsciously in her eyes between the flashes she sent at Kai. "A baby to be perfectly precise. Now, I'm sure you know Kai, that everyone is born with a soul. A spirit, so be definite. What do you think souls are? What do you think ghosts are?"

Kai looked slightly confused. "...A soul? A discrete nature."

"Hmm. I guess you can say a soul... is the inner you. The most valuable, vital principle of ALL things. Not just human beings, but plants, animals, fish... You know, some people believe ghosts are that dead person's soul. What do you think?"

"I'm not sure I believe in ghosts."

"I believe, ghosts are left over energy from your body once you die. I mean, your soul lives on right? That part of your soul, is formed in to energy to create the illusion of ghosts. But that's just me. Anyway, on with the story."

Kai remained silent. Already, he couldn't catch up with her. Her mind and thoughts were so intriguing that he didn't have a clue what she was going on about.

"Well, this baby, was a very special and rare little thing. As I said before, all living beings are born with a soul, right? Well... this baby wasn't. In fact, you could say, he wasn't even alive. He didn't move. He didn't have emotion. It was a whole new entity. He was immaterial. Yet, the baby had a heart beat. That's what was so weird. They say when you die your soul goes to sleep, and that's exactly what happened, though I suppose saying he had no soul is a little extreme and just a way of putting it. The baby itself was born at the mother's house... it was too late for hospital. The grandmother delivered the baby, being a retired mid-wife herself.

The mother couldn't understand it. Though, there was one person who understood fully. The little baby's grandmother, knew exactly what he was missing. A soul. Of course, this may not have been one of the best ideas this great woman had came up with... but she wasn't exactly a holy sane goddess herself. In some cases, due to her unusual efforts to place a soul in this baby's body, she was called a witch by the baby's mother. This old lady didn't care about the grief she was getting. She was somewhat of a wiccan, as her young years led her to make potions to heal the sick. Her theory was, this baby boy had been blessed by a soulless demon whom she made contact with in the past."

Fern took a deep breath as she aided Kai's confusion with her words that still made no sense to him.

She continued. "Sadly... this old lady was very ill, and sadly she knew she was dying. With a last minute thought, she talked to her old, faithful bit-beast... Naturally, her bit-beast looked up to her like she was apart of her. They cared about each other very much. The bit-beast knew the old lady was going to die... so, it was her duty, to fulfil her last request. Become her grandson's soul. His energy. His spirit. She kept it a secret from the world and the mother had no choice but to keep her mouth shut about it."

"What happened to the baby's mother?" Kai asked, amazed by her story, and he had yet millions of questions to fly at her.

"Sadly, she died shortly after the birth. She lost... a lot of blood. A LOT. Although, the doctors blamed the baby, because of it's unusual large weight, that well... I won't go in to details."

"...too unfortunate for it to be a fairy-tale isn't it?" Kai replied doubtfully. He placed his hand behind him and slouched down further out of discomfort, stretching one leg in front of him and the other knelt towards the sky.

Fern's green eyes flashed with pain. "I know. Fairy-tales have happy endings don't they?" She shook her head. "Anyway, the story is far from over."

Kai showed her he was listening and pulled a a soft, serene look.

"The baby was adopted after that, because sadly his grandmother died... and he never got to see his saviour. His life continued like any normal person's. He was given a name. And soon, he was walking around, talking, going to school, meeting people, having fun, playing, just like any other normal kid. He had space-black straw hair, and dashing red eyes. But underneath all of that- he was different. He had a very special relationship with his grandmother's old bit-beast. His inner-him, his soul. She told him he was extremely rare, but no different to the other kids. She told him how his grandmother saved his life, about his mother... about who he was. Being a rather intelligent young man, he acknowledged this information thoroughly, and he became a bright and lovely teenager who was perhaps a little different, but still, after all, everyone is different inside, right?"

Kai nodded in agreement.

"Not before long, his eye caught a beautiful young woman, who had sparkling red hair and lovely blue eyes. They fell deeply in love, but at first, it was only a teen romance. They were only 12 when they first met. When they both turned 15, they started having a relationship, which, lasted a while..." Fern's face suddenly drowned in emotion, her sentiments flying everywhere.

Kai frowned. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and continued, her voice perking up a little. "By the time they were both 18, they had fallen in love. Though, the handsome ecstatic man, was still keeping a secret from her... about his soul. He was afraid, that if she ever found out, she'd dump him because she was a very religious person, and she was only interested in 'pure' men who did no deeds wrong. So, he kept it quiet for the time being.

Soon, the woman fell pregnant when she was only 20. Because of his unusual body, he was afraid this baby may turn out like he did, and his fear for his lover's life was terrifying for him, as his own mother had died in a similar way... but the bit-beast, who was never doubted by him, assured him it was all going to be okay. And, it was. A baby girl was born."

Kai remained silent. The tears brewing up inside her eyes were more noticeable than ever; but he didn't want to interrupt her. He could only watch as she rubbed her eyes a little, and then continued.

"Unfortunately, a little afterwards, the baby girl's mother became.. a little ill. He had a hunch it was his fault, so he had no choice but to tell her about his little secret. The strange soul. The energy that had caused so much havoc." Fern frowned. "And it was about to cause even more."

Kai's eyes widened greatly at the sight of Fern's horrific, upset face that was lacking her usual persistent and blemished smile. She looks ever so strange like this; her face looked hysterical, on the verge of breaking, though he knew her mind was strong. Whatever it was she was going to tell him, he only hoped she would stay strong.

"And... something very sad happened. The love of his life accused him of being a freak and because he wasn't 'pure' or perfect in other words, she shot him out of her life forever. She banned him from ever seeing his baby girl. Forever... He was absolutely hysterical. He cried. He bled. He was in agony, because he had just lost his two loves. And all his selfish girlfriend could think about is that he had made her a little ill, but it wasn't his fault. I guess she was just in shock..."

Kai managed to silently gulp down hard. "Then what?"

"The bit-beast was convinced this new born baby girl would be born... a little differently. Not because the father was, but because of the bit-beast, and she knew it. Because she was his soul, an unusual energy. She was afraid that her energy had surpassed on to this baby girl... And they both knew, she had to learn to control it, otherwise... she could die. But, the father was extremely depressed.. heartbroken.. he couldn't do anything. He could only rely on his bit-beast spirit. He made sure after he was gone, that she would protect his baby.. and to help her to control the energy. He died in the darkness of one's old and lonely world- a tragic, lost death. A death of loss. A death of love. As they say, love hurts. Love kills."

"...No way." Kai only just managed to find his words. It was truly tragic. He had never heard of anyone dying in such a way, it reached beyond a painful way to die.

"Yes way. It... must have been terrible for that man... and no one could do anything... Anyway, the story's not over. The bit-beast carried out his request, and didn't fail once. Her, and two more faithful spirits, looked after this girl..." Fern explained.

Kai's eyes widened. "What! Wait, are you saying...?!"

The girl shook her head, light tears splattering away as she did so. "Let me finish. These three bit-beasts practically grew up with this girl. They taught her to control her special energy, and eventually, when the girl was 4, she wanted to know why she could do magical things. That's when she learnt the truth... about her father, his soul, and why she was born this way. She realized, after a while, she had the ability to talk to more than just them. But EVERY bit-beast. She had inherited this gift through the bit-beast, due to it's soul and energy. And eventually... she came to realize what she could do. Even spirits are injured. Because the bit-beast was locked up for so long in the girl's dad, her energy was slipping away... and if it were to drain completely... then she would be captured by her place of birth again. The stars. She would be sealed in her red star.

However... this girl also discovered that her special energy, was able to heal the bit-beast, fortunately... and so she did. It makes sense doesn't it? A human soul keeps humans alive... and the soul, or energy, of a bit-beast keeps them alive... and because the girl carried this soul energy... it was only natural that the girl's energy she possessed would help build the bit-beast's strength again. But not just her. All bit-beasts." Fern paused for a moment. "Hmm... then, her life began when she found a love for beyblading, and a new miracle came to her one night when the full moon was dipped in a clear, black sky. I guess now I can say, _the end_. But nothing ever really is the end, is it? It's an amazing gift the girl had, but there's always those downfalls of it... The moral of the story is, great power should be used for your loved ones, and not against them."

Fern watched as Kai's eyes stared at her lips, taking in every word she fed to him as hard as a rock. She sighed to herself. It wasn't like she could blame him for being so shocked. It was a shocking story.

'Mistress... perhaps you shouldn't tell him any more about... this energy...' Werex whispered to Fern quickly, trying not to interfere.

Fern nodded to herself. 'Yep, you're right. I don't want to worry him. Besides, that's none of his business really... I have to be sensible about that issue alone.'

'You know Black Pele may be able to...'

Fern squeezed her fingers in to a fist. 'I know Werex. That's what I need to avoid.'

"Fern..." Kai caught the girl's attention again, and she gazed in to his unsure eyes. "That story... it was so...unreal."

Fern giggled a little. " I know... but I bet you find it fascinating..."

"It's amazing..." His face shone with interest and his red eyes flashed with such concern she almost couldn't stop gazing. Kai had a strange caringness and softness he shared sometimes... it made her smile. Then suddenly, his face dropped, out of realization. "Fern... that baby girl... are you saying... she... she was..." Fern's eyes cast a guilty conscience suddenly within their red glisten. She bowed her head. "What was the bit-beast's name!?"

She looked up at him for split seconds. By his face, it was clear he wanted an answer. He _needed_ an answer. Her lips vibrated open, and that single word came sailing out. "Trinity."

His eyes sharpened, narrowing slightly as the sentimental emotion within sparked brighter, his lower lip trembling with the truth. She knew. And he knew.

* * *

**Fern: OH MY GOSHINESS! KAI LOVES ME!**

**Kai: ¬¬ No I don't.**

**Fern: Oh. :(**

**ANJ: That was part 1 of 2 so the second half of the chapter will be up soon! There's a lot more secrets still to be told, so fear not if you have no idea what's going on. :P And I know it won't make sense at first. ) But it would be odd of me to reveal everything in one chapter, savvy? **

**Kai: Review please! ...For me:)**


	24. Soul Mates

**Right... this is my second attempt at this chapter... I had finished it, was happy with it, then left it for a while. Then my computer went crazy and wouldn't turn on, so my mum reinstalled it and GAHHH!!!!! I hadn't put it on a disc!!! I lost it!!!!!!! I was so annoyed!!! Anyway this is the rewritten version I guess.**

**IMPORTANT: Anyway, after this chapter, Dance Like No One's Watching will be on Hiatus for a while because I'm almost finished school and have to revise for exams, then I'm off to college.. phew. Yeah, so it's hectic I tell you! But every second I have spare I will try to write some of the next chapter. ) Are people willing to wait for a while? I must thank everyone f****or reviewing my long chapters! I'm _very_ grateful to know someone is actually reading this.**

**I was gunna just put it on hiatus at chapter 23, but I thought this one would be a better way to end it and it's kind of a cliff hanger. For now. ) Oh yeah, this is where the T-rating comes in. Keep little annoying bros/sis' away from comp! Really! I think you'll like this chapter. Heehee.**

**Fern: I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M BEING HIATUSED!!!!**

**...Hiatused, not a word.**

**Fern: ¬.¬ Hey, you just do your writing bit, and I'll do the acting bit.**

* * *

**Dance Like No One's Watching**

* * *

**Chapter 24- Soul Mates**

Kai held his head in his freezing hands, wondering if everything was just a dream. It would have been much easier if it was, but usually, when hoping something is a dream, usually it is in fact, the reality.

"Well? Say something? I know you think I'm weird. But I'm not, I'm really not," Fern sighed. "I'm actually rather surprised it's hitting you this hard. What happened to hard-to-get Kai Hiwatari?" She giggled.

Kai looked across at her, his feet digging further in to the solid ground. "Hm. I don't know. It just seems all a bit unreal, Fern. Why would you tell me? It seems rather obvious that you tell me this, your secret, exposing your feelings to me, then in return I expose my feelings to you? It's not going to happen."

For a moment Fern contemplated what he was trying to get at. She moved her knees higher, and rested her chin on top, waiting for him to carry on.

"You're not a spy are you?" Seriousness flashed through his deep crimson eyes, and an almost begging to know approach withered in his face.

Fern widened her green eyes momentarily. _Spy..._ "WHAT! NO! Never! How can you even think that?"

The phoenix simply looked at her, then turned his head the other way. "I was just wondering. Just in case." Her answer was satisfactory to him, and even though it was a spare of the moment thought, it would have been interesting to see her reaction.

"I told you because I trust you, silly," Fern giggled slightly, earning herself a gaze from Kai's pretty eyes. "I didn't tell you because I wanted you to spill out your secrets. It's because I needed to talk to someone. There's a big difference there."

A wide grin suddenly found it's way to her face. "Oh, that's typical! Typical YOU, Kai! Asking me if I'm a spy is something so typical for you to ask, and to someone like me."

The blue-haired teen wanted to smile. A slight perk curved at the corner of his red lips, though before it could properly form, he glanced away from her. "Right."

The girl laughed once more. "And a typical response."

Silence set upon the area. The two listened to the gentle ripples of the silvery blue water, and the trickling of the diamanté waterfall cascade freely and openly down the rock on the cliff wall.

"You've got to be pulling my leg," Kai whispered, still very wondrous about her story.

She shook her head. "No strings attached." A sudden smirk wiped her lips from a frown. "This would be me pulling your leg." She grabbed a hold of Kai's leg and began annoyingly tugging it.

Little did she know, being in his shoes, it felt a little different. With each tug, he could feel his underwear tugging too... "Alright, alright, get off!" He rolled his eyes, and she faced him again, still smirking.

Kai perched his shoulders boldly upwards, and allowed his hands to rest against the cold grass. Fern watched his movements closely, smiled, then nudged him playfully on the shoulder.

"Hey. How about we take a dip in the pool? It's warm and looks gorgeous, how about it?" The redhead asked, her cheekbones flashing Kai a rounded, sweet smile.

Kai looked at her out of curiosity. He may as well, he thought to himself ponderously, there was nothing stopping him. He sat up straight, and unexpectedly began to pull off his first shoe, then the other.

Fern stared at him, slightly surprised. "Wow, curious are we tiger?"

He glanced up at her, shooting her a slight glare. The girl wriggled her eyebrows. "Hey- I'm just kidding!" With that, Fern followed his movements exactly. She threw off her red boots, black socks, then rolled up her black combat pants. She moved closer towards Kai, and dipped her legs patiently in to the water. "Mmmm." The water was so clean and refreshing, it sent relaxing fragments through her entangled body, as she enjoyed the gentle caressing of the water soak in to her pale skin.

She leaned backwards, and rested her hands behind her and was happy to indulge in the warm water. A smile rippled over her delicate lips, as the soothing lines of dusty light pampered her face.

Kai had rolled up his pants to the top of his knees, exposing his tensing and toned legs perfectly, and once this caught Fern's eye, she couldn't help but stare. She watched him directly, as he dipped his legs further in to the relaxing water. She smiled, Kai had also found the attractive scent of the water irresistible to touch and from previous experiences, once your feet are exposed to this pool of water, it sure is a shame to have to pull them back out.

Her green orbs rolled up at down his body, watching his delighted body rest to the feel of the water. His powerful body made hers look so small and scrawny, taking a note to this, her stomach was suddenly abundant in butterflies. He looked _so _handsome.

Once her face turned away from Kai and stared out at the pool, a saddened smile spread across her lips.

"My Dad is called Osami Ryuki, my mother, Sarina Senami. They are both dead," Her words urged Kai to glance around. She slowly turned to face him. "I'm so lonely."

Kai was slightly taken back, and looked away from her without a second thought. 'Loneliness...' His heart suddenly filled with sympathy for her, and something of a realization hit his mind hard.

"...How... did your mother die?" He asked, though when he listened back to his words, he just wanted to punch himself. He quickly spun his head around to expect her to shout at him, but to his complete surprise, her face was as steady and mature as ever.

"Hmmm. I'm not even sure. Even though I miss her... she didn't think much of me. She knew I was different... because Osami is my dad... she thought I'd end up like him. My mum... she was ever so mysterious. She moved to England... for this man she met on a business trip there. After we moved, she died a year later... I never understood my mum. She was secretive, always going places with her work... I didn't even know what she did as a living," Finally Fern took a breath, though almost immediately continued. "My guess is, she still loved my dad. But she couldn't bare it any more. So she commit suicide. That's what the hospital said it was anyway. Suicide. Ha. I cried three days straight. That's when her boyfriend left me. And I hated him. I still despise him to this day."

"It hurts doesn't it? When you need answers but you just can't find them..." Kai glanced forward towards the pool sadly. His eyes looked as though they were searching for answers within the falling waterfall.

"...It does. I still want my answers."

"You mentioned your friend to me one night? Orla, wasn't it?"

"Yes. She took me in when I had no where else to go."

"Does she know about this?"

"Yes. I told her. And she understands me. Unlike.. my mother... I guess, my mum wasn't all that bad. We did have good times... Hm. Orla gave me the time of my life. She taught me how to stand up again. Kai, I'm sorry. After this tournament.. I must return to England back to Orla. I owe her a lot."

Kai shot his crimson eyes in to hers. For a moment, his eyes widened though narrowed again once he saw her glum face. Those words felt as though he had just been disowned. Suddenly, all he felt in his heart was drought, and sadness.

It was also a real shame for her to have to say it, she had become close to the Bladebreakers over the past two weeks and not a second passed by when she wasn't having fun with them. They were like a second family.

"You do understand this... gift that you posses, is essentially dangerous," He said unknowingly, still unsure what to say.

"I know, Kai. Imagine if this secret of mine leaked out in to the press. I'd be pointed a freak! And all those crazy scientists wanting to grab hold of me for testing.. like an animal..."

"Then I trust you."

"I trust you too. That's why I told you, tiger."

With no other lines shed from their mouths, only the collision of their eyes could be left to read each others thoughts. Awkwardly, Kai turned back to face the pool, as did Fern. She began moving her legs in a circular motion, creating light ripples across the water.

The great light shed over Kai's face, and he sat back, enjoying the feeling of warmth that cupped his face in to delight. His eyes closed in to a daydream, and allowed the light to indulge his senses in to further relaxation. It was nice, being here with her. The atmosphere was gentle and warm, even though the grass was slightly cold, but the passionate feeling of this place had him stuck and he didn't want to leave; it was perfect for just sitting and relaxing.

As well as that, he didn't mind being sat next to a girl. It was Fern, and had only just realized their similarities were disturbing though real. They shared loneliness, and what was better than sharing this with someone who knew how he felt?

"It's a nice night, huh?" Fern smiled, staring up in to the black sky.

It took Kai a good few seconds until he had the energy to answer. "We should be getting back. We have to be up early tomorrow."

Fern pondered for a few seconds. "Hmmm. Not that early."

This made Kai's eyebrow rise. "Uhh, captain's orders, I was planning on waking you all up at sunrise."

"So? I'm lonely, remember? When I sleep I have no one. I'd much rather be here with you in company than go to sleep," Fern said, now looking at Kai.

"But it's at least twelve thirty AM! I'll be waking you all up in a few hours, you'll need all the sleep you can get!" Kai argued, though didn't do a very good job of it. She simply smiled at him, and he sighed. You just couldn't work it out with her. She never listened to a thing he said anyway.

Kai sat there, awaiting for her to give him a proper response. Fern smirked suddenly, and turned around to face him, whilst gently splashing a generous amount of water over his leg with her foot. "If you really wanted to go, you would have gone by now."

He turned a nervous eye towards her. He saw a challenge here. "Hm. Don't think you've got one over on me. I'll show you!" With that, Kai released his legs from the water. Fern swore she caught a slight dissatisfaction within his eyes; he was struggling already. She knew he wouldn't be able to resist.

He pulled her a glare, then grabbed his two boots. He pulled them on hurriedly, stood up, unrolled his pants back down to his ankles, then began to dawdle away from the pool.

Fern's giggle interrupted his dedication to walk away. He spun around swiftly, to see her sat there with that usual annoying, cheeky smile over her face as though triumph had been won by her. He narrowed his eyes, and turned around again.

Annoyingly, her sneaky smile just wouldn't erase from his mind; and he stepped forward again, trying to make out he wasn't going to just let it go. And finally his head snapped, and he spun around once more to face her. He held his finger high, to emphasize his point.

"You're really annoying." His tone was jokily and evident.

Fern laughed, and dug her fist in to the water, sending a splash towards Kai. "This place is just too irresistible," She smiled, licking her lips. This earned Kai's stomach a twist. "C'mon. Just a little longer. I'll tell you something else cool."

Kai stuck his gaze on to her for countless seconds, displeased she had won one over on him. Why couldn't he just bring himself to say _no? _To her enjoyment, he wandered back towards her, and once again proceeded to take off his boots. Her green eyes were greeted with his strong, toned legs again, to her pleasure. He slumped down beside her lazily, and dipped his legs in to the pool, and a slight moan escaped his throat in pleasure.

Silence proceeded for another few seconds, and tonight, it was becoming quite a habit, though talking was not needed. Silence was the key to feelings between them, they needn't talk to express their feelings or thoughts, as they were noticeable within their eyes and the moon added to this by sending down an extra sparkle.

"Trinity tells me I have a soul mate."

Fern laughed in what seemed like disbelief, though apart of her giggle was somewhat in an amused tone. "Not that I believe her. She's been telling me this since I was old enough to understand. Apparently we were born to be together. Destined, and he's closer than ever."

Kai stared at her, and she looked at him in wonder, to find his face almost drained out of colour.

She laughed again. "Kai! Don't look so worried! I'm not hitting on you or anything, just I thought you might find it interesting," She smirked at the boy, as his deep, content eyes stared back in to hers. A noticeable pink blush leapt on to his skin, though she thought nothing of it. "Hmm. I do believe I have a soul mate, as does everyone. But I don't believe he's particularly close..."

"Close?" Kai asked, his confusion shredding in his throat.

"Yeah... you know, close. That we don't know it yet, but it's gunna happen eventually. We're not totally.. understanding each other quite yet. Not as _close_ as you think...," Her eyes seemed to glow suddenly, a rich green, brighter than he had ever seen before. The similar red sparkled lightly, as fire gently rose within her dazzling eyes. "It's funny." She was almost laughing. "I can't just date anyone I want, because how do I know they want to date me? I have no idea who my soul mate is. It could be anyone. It could be one of the Blade Warriors!" Her smile perked up slightly. "And I sure hope it's not. Hey, you know? It could be.. one of the Bladebreakers..." Fern whispered her last sensitive words, so clear and affectionate, it was as if she _already_ knew.

This moment had never felt so right. Her hinting words drew Kai in to wonder, as he gazed endlessly through her amazing fairy-tale eyes, trying to read her emotions. _Does she want to? Do I want to?_

Her eyes flickered, teasing his brain with such desire, a hot flame within him burned and flickered violently, wanting to be released and pour out all donation.

Before he could stop himself, he found himself slowly moving his head towards hers, as their eyes set upon each other, which gave them that little extra persuasion to carry on. The cold phoenix tilted his head, although still unsure, carried on with his actions as, as usual, he did not like to be drawn away from his passion.

Fern returned the sentiment, and rose her head to the side, as a set of warm, wet lips swiftly rubbed against hers, sending an almighty chill down her spine. Hesitant, Kai leaned back only slightly, their lips only inches apart, wondering whether his heart is where his priorities really lied. His broad arm reached up, and he spread his fingers apart just a little, and gently slid them down her flushed face.

Her green eyes closed at the motion, and then came another stroke, and for a moment, she sat back and enjoyed his gentle touch that she had never experienced before. It was like when you encounter a new emotion, and you have no idea how to control it or what to do with it; over all, this feeling fascinated her and suddenly, she felt the palm of his hand cup her small chin. His hand almost ate her chin, the great size different overwhelming her, and all she could do was hope this moment would last _forever._

It seemed Kai had finally made up his mind, and serenely pulled her chin towards his face. This time, his mouth fully hugged her lips in to a satisfying kiss, the breath from his throat cascading down Fern's throat, and she swallowed it fondly.

His lips were wet and grateful, as their kiss heated, his puckering lips fondled Fern's big feminine lips and eventually their saliva was tasteful in each other's mouth, though was accepted without question.

Kai's long, protective arms wrapped around the girl as her shield, pulling her even closer and in return, the flaming wolf managed to move her position and escape her arms from in between their bodies, and flung them around his intensive neck.

To her disappointment, she felt his lips pull apart. Their diamond eyes met, circling with different emotions that neither of them could read any more as there were too many to scan at once. Kai's eyes narrowed and fell to the ground, still with his arms around the middle of her body, and he gently pulled her in again, and allowed her to rest her forehead on to his.

Their lips longed for capture, and the temptation was so great it was almost too hard to just sit and gaze in to each others eyes. Whilst resting against his forehead, it only just hit her what had really happened, and it had really surprised her how passionate his kiss was. He tasted like mint and perhaps a tinge of strawberry, and his lips were as strong as his muscles, wanting to lead the kiss to his swallowing hers. She smiled at her thoughts, a cheeky, dirty type of grin.

Kai's head dropped down to the floor again, wondering whether he wanted to continue or not. It had suddenly come out of no where, but all he knew was that it was what he wanted. And only just realizing it, was something he had wanted for a long time, though his stubborn mind had failed to accept it. 'I know now. How could I have been so _stupid._ I care for her.'

Kai's lips curved slightly in to a sneaky smile and pulled Fern tighter towards him, sitting up slightly connecting their lips. A quiet moan in supplement escaped from her throat, which remained undetected by Kai as he was too drawn to her lips than anything else. His arms moved down slightly, now held tightly around her skinny waist, he manoeuvred his legs so his were entangled with one of hers, whilst keeping the kiss in order. Fern moved slightly so that her legs were drawn from the water and rested against his.

She felt a line being drawn along her bottom lip, his tongue demanding an entry, and just as keen, she opened her mouth generously and allowed him further access. Kai expressed his joy by pulling her even closer, until their bodies embraced so tightly there was no time to breathe, just kiss. Kai gently explored her mouth, first starting off with tickling the top of her gum, and he felt her play along, and began tapping at his. Feeling a smile arousing over his lips, she wanted to wipe it off and surprise him, and immediately used her tongue to spill her saliva over his. In result she felt him loosen his grip on her only slightly in surprise, though pulled her against him even closer afterwards.

Fern sighed and released silent breaths of air from her nose, still struck by his amazing kissing. Thoughts lied at the back of her mind, ones she wasn't sure she wanted to listen to because all she wanted was to enjoy this moment, that would probably never come again. 'I'm on cloud 9. He's so hot. I can't believe it. I'm kissing Kai. The Kai. The Kai Hiwatari. I've never felt anything this good before...'

Their bodies become so entwined, Kai was almost falling on top her though unsuspectingly they had no control over their actions as they were too drawn in, and both had no idea how it got like this. Fern let a smirk corner her lips and Kai continued to kiss her passionately, still exploring her mouth as though it was a whole new place for him to see- and she allowed him to journey through, to the depths of her throat.

The red head shifted her body upwards slightly, to avoid them toppling over on to the ground, and gently gave Kai a childish push. It was only until Kai let go of her, having the push been more forceful than intended that suddenly an evil thought hit her mind.

Fern giggled as she watched him try to keep his balance, his arms now flailing in the air in a circular motion to keep himself from falling into the pool. She smiled almost scarily at him, and he rose a brow at her cunning glare that he could only question. She pushed him again, much harder this time, and she could only watch in amusement as he did a slow-motion topple.

"Woaa!" Kai cried as he fell in to the silvery pool, sending a massive wave that hit Fern and soaked her red hair.

"Hahahaha," Fern laughed hysterically at the teen.

Surly Kai's head popped up from the water in dismay, spitting out the water like a fish that had escaped down in to his throat, and this only made Fern laugh even more. The phoenix glared at the girl, failing miserably to fight away the sneaky smirk that collapsed over his overwhelmed face.

His cheeky and sly grin naturally silenced Fern's wondering mind. She gulped heavily. That smile. He was up to something. Her smile faded and immediately she stepped backwards, her long, red hair flowing hesitantly behind her.

Suddenly Kai's monstrous hand rose from the water, reaching out and gripped her slender wrist between his large fingers. She could only wriggle her legs in attempt to escape from his grip, but it was too late for anything. He used only a small proportion of his strength to pull the helpless girl in with him, sending an almost silent splash and muffled scream through the air.

"RRRAAHHH!" Fern erupted from the water like a ravenous tidal wave. "MY HAIR!"

"Hah hah," She felt a dirty chuckle whisper in to her right ear. She lowered her green eyes, spinning around to face the evil boy. At first she shot him a glare, using her fingers to crawl through her soaking hair disapprovingly.

"My hair took ages to blow dry! Now it won't have that same umph in the morning.. you cruel boy..." She ran her fingers through the water and gently splashed his face.

She felt awful. Her clothes were tightly stuck to her skin, and being soaked it did not feel very nice at all.

She smirked a little to see Kai's blue triangles had ran dramatically down his face, and even the paint was turning the water around them a bluey colour. "I suppose we're even." She giggled, moving closer towards him.

Kai's red eyes glowed in pleasure, though still wondering deep inside if this was so right. It made him feel better to think it was okay to do this, though was it wrong for him?

Before he knew it, he was wrapping his arms tightly around her waist once more, hugging her for a few seconds before tilting his jaw over hers. Their wet skin touched for moments, and he rubbed his cheek against hers purposely to leave his famous blue trade mark on her pale skin. He pulled back slightly and smirked to see her face was covered in his war paint.

She leaned in and closed the gap between the two. Her lips were wet, though warm, and he sank his smothered lips in to hers, tightening his grip on her as the kiss grew more passionate.

She slid her lips against his, moving her jaw at a steady speed and finally Kai demanded entrance, licking her bottom lip lightly and almost feather-like, she felt a sensation of something great run down her spine. Her eagerness indulged Kai, and he slipped his tongue deep within her mouth. For moments they both explored, she herself able to keep up with Kai which surprised him.

Feeling a little competitive, his burning lips caught her in a deeper kiss, with such passion and desire leaping from his kiss she felt overruled. _Wow. _She had never expected Kai to be to such a good kisser. He was on fire.

Little did they realize, their floating bodies began to inch closer and closer towards the waterfall, though their tongues were so twisted they barely noticed.

His kisses were almost wild, though wet and magical, she almost couldn't keep up with him. She was too surprised by how good this felt to even respond in any way, and pathetically attempted to match up against him. As her kiss grew more affectionate, his only burned faster, a powerful fire ripping from his lips that couldn't be compared.

Every kiss he left, her heart thumped an extra beat. Her mind was filled with many thoughts, but those appeared unread to the back of her mind. She could only enjoy his touch while it lasted.

As the two began to float in to the deep end of the pool, Fern could no longer touch the floor and found it difficult to stay balanced. Kai picked up her struggling, and responded by lifting her from the ground slightly within his embrace, holding her tightly to his body as his lips sunk in to hers. The girl giggled in delight, running her fingers through his soggy hair, whispering her body against his protective frame which he held ever so tightly; as though he didn't want to let go.

A protective streak heated from the flaming phoenix, with his wrapped victim deep within his heroic arms. Fern jumped up slightly, bringing her two legs up from the water and wrapping them tightly around his waist, crossing them at the back so she could stay upright. She earned a slight moan from Kai, her legs tightening around his muscled waist.

In the heat of the moment, Kai used one of his hands to run through her hair, lifting the strands from the water, and then dropping it, in a repeating pattern.

To his disappointment, he felt her end the kiss, and her head pulled away for a breather. Their eyes engaged, passionate fire burning within each other's and something great and unexpected struck the girl when she tried to read his eyes. There was no ice. That usual, icy glare the phoenix obtained had vanished; not a trace of it was seen, only wild flames burning, needing more from her.

Soaked from head to toe, they just stood and gazed at each other, wondering if this hadn't happened, would things be different?

'The fire in Fern has awakened... once again... Maybe Trinity is right...' Werex watched over the teens.

'Is this the new phoenix? Is this where his icy heart _really _lies?' Dranzer wondered, only quiet enough for Kai to remain oblivious.

Fern brought her hand from around his shoulders, and lightly brushed her palm against his beautiful face. The gaze he shot her was like a whirlwind of emotions, each hitting her as soft as a feather, whilst the only ones that shone were happiness. Affection. And her eyes widened when it had only really just hit her.

She had kissed Kai. The guy she thought would never open up to her after past encounters, still, he had so much more to give to her than she had really anticipated. He was brilliant. His eyes... glowed like a lunar eclipse, surrounded by a deep, white-hot flame. They were so beautiful, she nearly found herself lost inside. Her ogling was slightly embarrassing, but there was nothing to pull her back. She just _couldn't._

'Damn... he's gorgeous...' she found herself thinking, still captured in his lockable red gaze.

She felt him shiver, pleased, at the feathery touch of her fingers run down his jaw. The phoenix loosened his grip on the werewolf, and as he brought his arm out from the water, a waterfall of droplets trickled from his arms on to her face, and she closed her eyes at the soothing feeling. His bare hand held her jaw, using his thumb to caress the line.

He hadn't ever imagined he would be doing this. Especially him. Sometimes he would catch himself wondering what had gotten in to him, though he never had an answer. All he could do was kiss her and enjoy, though remained unsure _why _he was doing it. Every gaze she shot at him with her perfect emerald eyes, would make his heart skip a _couple_ of beats. Deep inside, he couldn't deny the feelings he had for her. It was something more than friendship. It would be a crime to deny it, even he wasn't that stupid.

But why did it have to be him?

'I know this is what I want. But why do I want it... I've never felt like this before. Why now? Why her? It's so inappropriate.' Kai released from his thoughts suddenly, pushing them to the side, and landing another deep kiss on the girl's lips, her legs still tightly wrapped around him for support.

Suddenly water collapsed on to their heads, and both pulled apart momentarily, looked up, and were greeted with a tumbling waterfall, the shiny diamond drops whisking down gracefully but firmly, hitting off their heads and bodies. It was warm and convenient, and they could no longer be bothered to move away as their lips once again caught in to a heated kiss that neither of them could pull away from.

Water managed to seep in to their mouths as they pressed against each other, opening every so often to grab a taste of each other. Fern ran her tongue along his bottom lip, asking for entrance once more. He agreed, opening his mouth slightly and letting her explore inside. The waterfall ran at a great pace, and their bodies rose to catch the water over their heads, enjoying the feeling to a great extent.

She felt him jokily tug at her bottom lip, and in response she smirked. The redhead playfully held his thigh, and slowly ran her fingers towards the bottom lining of his vest. She played with it teasingly, pretending to lift it though purposely stopping to get a reaction out of him. He continued to kiss her, and she could tell by his dominant body he wanted her to lift it just for a moment.

She smirked at the motion, and carefully lifted the bottom of Kai's top until she came in contact with his strong abdominals. A shiver was sent down her spine, being in touch with his muscled chest made her feel all giddy inside. At the same time it was slightly embarrassing, and the upcoming rosy blush didn't fail to hide.

She let go immediately, feeling slightly flustered when she felt Kai's sneaky grin against her lips. His tongue continued to rattle against hers, and water poured down over their heads like they had been _matched_ up together. As though the water had purposely picked them out, to stay together.

'Stun him...'

A pair of bright green eyes flashed open faster than a heart beat. A female voice marched through Fern's mind like an army of evil.

'This is your chance. You know what you have to do,' The singing voice rattled through her mind, a poisonous sound that Fern couldn't ignore.

'No.. please not now..' Fern cried to herself, still entangled in Kai's kisses. Her grip on the boy loosened, though he only held her tighter, and she just wanted to get away. Now.

Fern's heart thumped, every single whisper the evil Pele sent through her thoughts, her mouth dried up and slowly came to a closure. Kai noticed this hesitation, and pulled back from her in acceptance, convinced she needed a breather.

She stared in to his eyes. And he did hers. But something confused him. No longer was happiness shown, but a deep worry within her fiery eyes. He could only question, and for a moment felt his self-determination drain in thought. Had he taken it too far?

Kai continued to hold her, as did she, though slowly she steadied from his grip, and drifted out from under the waterfall. She found her hands wandering inside her pocket; when she felt it. That blade. She had totally forgotten it was in there. And to what expense? Kai!

Suddenly anger ripped through her face. 'I can't believe it! I'm so stupid! Black Pele could have made me fulfil Flint's wish, and no way could I do that, NO WAY!' The girl travelled further and further away from Kai, until she reached the bank and began to climb out. Water literally fell from her as she climbed out, soaking the grass to no end.

Abruptly, the hurting stopped in her mind. Fern clicked her fingers to realize Black Pele had left her head. If she made up an excuse now, maybe she could get away with it.

She spun her head around to find a very confused Kai staring at her from in the pool. A grin leapt across her face, and once again a forced fire seemed to glow within her iris. "We had to end it some time. Besides, we better get back. It's so late. And besides that..." Fern momentarily dropped her head to the ground, a bridge of pink appearing on her face. "I'm embarrassed."

She perked up again, this time catching Kai's masculine smile. It was amazing how much better a smile could make you feel, knowing that smile was for _you._ The girl threw back an embarrassed smile.

"You're right, uhhh..." He himself bowed his head to the ground, also seeming to share the same flush. "Are we both agreeing that this never leaves here? No one else can know. I have a reputation to keep, you know."

Fern laughed, as she rinsed out her clothes that stuck to her. "You stubborn jerk. You always will be. But that's why I like you."

Kai smirked back, joining her on the grass with a long sigh. "I'm soaked to the bone."

"Me too.. hey, listen. I'm tired. Can we head back now?" Fern asked, smiling at Kai sweetly. The phoenix watched her pretty face ogle his own, and finally he nodded in agreement. "But... I really liked tonight. We should come and talk here some other time."

Kai raised a brow. "But this is our last night here. After this we'll be staying at Long Island."

"I know that. But what's stopping us from coming back? Besides, I can't just leave my friends."

"Oh, you mean the bitbeasts?" Kai shook his head. "Nah, I still don't understand that. But whatever this relationship you have with them, I don't wish to see it end."

Fern smirked. "Mr. Softy, are we?" Kai rolled his eyes dismissively, and stepped closer towards her.

"You wish. And remember- you should be thanking me for tonight. I'm sure you enjoyed it a lot more than me," He smirked cheekily, placing an arm on her shoulder as a friendly gesture.

Fern gaped at Kai in shock. "Hah The cheek! Well, I didn't see you complaining! You were lucky enough to even have me."

One last smile escaped the boy's lips. After tidying up a bit, the two removed themselves from Panacea's natural grip. It was forceful to leave, though as Kai disappeared through the trees, Fern stopped momentarily, turned around, and stared at the waterfall they had been under on this perfect night. Her eyes filled with an unknown emotion- and only worry was shone through, mixed with a hint of passion.

A victorious smile spread across her lips. 'Next time, Black Pele won't be here to disturb once I'm finished with her.'

* * *

**Kai: ...Suddenly I feel dehydrated.**

**Fern: Hey! My acting was awesome, wasn't it!? (Bhahahaaa, who's jealous!?)**

**Kai: ...**

**...Heehee. Well, what do you think? It was bound to happen eventually anyway XD It's a shame to put this story on hiatus really, but I will update one day... yes... I shall do just that. /writes in schedule./ So/wiggles cat tail/ A review would be very nice indeed. ) Just to tell me what you thought of it. By the way, should the rating be moved up? I don't see why it should, because I don't intend to make them go further, but just in case to be safe?**

**Anyway till next time... and all of your unanswered questions... such as, Will Kai regret it (har har, or will he go back for more?), will the others find out, will the tournament ever start!? Will the Bladebreakers win!??? Will we ever find out who this mystery leader is!!!???????? WILL FERN EVER LEARN TO TOILET TRAIN?!!!??? Uhmm.. find out, next time!!! (Next Chap- First day of the tournament and already emotions are running high.)**


	25. Beginning of the End?

**Goodness me... Goshi... ZOMG... Eek... Okay, enough of that. After some very decisive thinking (My brain hurts -ow-) I've decided to write and post another chapter of DLNOW, purely because, I kinda miss writing it, I've worked so hard on it and it would be a shame to let it go because it was my first fic after all... So, my oh so lovely reviewers, I guess this chapter is down to whether I continue or not. I know this sounds a bit desperate, but it's all down to how much feedback I get. The more I get, the more I know there is actually a POINT to carrying on. After all this is written for you. XD**

**And remember:  
****"Speaking."  
****'Thinking.'**

**Fern: OMG, I'M LIKE, BACK!**

**Me: Uhm, maybe. Depends how it goes. Oh. AND YES I WAS ANGEL NEKO-JIN ONCE. I'm Angel Sakura x now peeps.**

**Kai: Sucky name.**

**Me: Shuttup.**

* * *

**Dance Like No One's Watching**

* * *

**Chapter 25- Beginning of the End?**

Waking up with a yawn, Fern sat up. With a stretch and a couple of moments to liven up, the following night's events rolled into her head like a video. A very _visual_ video.

She blushed and smiled to herself. She could still taste his unusual minty-fresh breath, and the way his strong protective arms would wrap around her like he didn't want to let go. The only question was... how was Kai feeling about it this morning?

He wasn't in bed, in fact, the only people in the room were her and Tyson. He was sleeping rather loudly, pressing loud snores into his wet pillow.

"Hey Tyson and Fern aren't up yet! The bus is picking us up in half an hour!" Max's voice was heard from the next room. Fern narrowed her eyes and jumped out of bed. She had got in late last night so it was no wonder she was sleeping in so late... but Tyson, however, was just plain lazy.

"I'll go wake them..." Kai's voice came to light and immediately Fern froze. If he came in here now it would be their first meeting since last night.

'Man, this sure is gonna be awkward...' Fern sighed to herself, quickly brushing her hair and pulling down her nightgown that was tangled with her pants. She busied herself in her draw, grabbing a pile of clothes, just as she felt a presence walk in to the room.

Her green eyes slid shut, her heart thumping like a crazy techno beat. It was Kai, she knew it...

_"T-Y-S-O-N-!"_

Fern jumped out of her skin, releasing a little yelp. What the hell?

"WHAAAAA!" Tyson rolled over with a start and travelled off the bed, landing on the ground and a giant crack was heard. Probably a few of his bones, Fern thought, still in shock. She stared at Kai, who was stood leaning over Tyson. He had obviously shouted in his ears at the top of his lungs.

"JE-SUS CHIRST KAI! What you tryin' to do, deafen me!? Prat!" Tyson cried, rubbing his ribs. He was going to sue Kai if anything was broken. He stood up, glaring at the smug-looking Kai.

Fern managed to crack a smile. 'Charming...' She giggled to herself.

"Now, get dressed, get washed, Ray has got breakfast waiting for you." Kai said simply, folding his arms.

Tyson threw his arms up in the air dramatically. "Oh great, you could have just nudged me!" He cried, still smothering his ribs with rubs. "What gives you the right to do that!?" Kai rolled his eyes, knowing Tyson was never going to drop this. So in an attempt to get him out of the room, Kai told him his breakfast would get cold.

Still in PJ's, Tyson rushed through the open curtain which Kai closed shortly after him, finally realising he was actually hungry.

Fern looked down at the floor. It was just him and her. 'Did he try to get rid of Tyson on purpose... to talk to me alone..? It mustn't be good then...' She looked up, gulping, finding it hard to stare into the crimson eyes of the guy she got pretty intimate with.

"Kai, listen-"

He cut her off, to her surprise. "No, I want to say something." She bit her bottom lip. She could only prepare herself for the worst. Being let down, the feeling she never wanted to feel. "Last night was... strange. It went beyond both our imaginations."

Fern could just cry. Her eyes dazzled with water, tears screwing up in them already. She couldn't believe it. He was going to turn her down, she knew it. After everything that had happened, last night she finally thought it was going to be different. It changed her completely. There was no denying it now. She liked him. A hell of a lot.

"And that's why... just because I believe in exceptions," Kai took a deep breath. "I just want to say... thank you."

The read head stared at him in wonder. Her eyes were wide and disbelieving. What did he mean by that? Thank you for what? She coughed, clearing her throat, trying to find her voice. "So.. you... don't... regret it then?" She squeaked.

Suddenly Kai smirked. Fern's hand was almost shaking. Appearing frozen and overwhelmed, her eyes remained clasped on him, her mouth open slightly. She could only ask herself what he was thinking, what all of this meant right now.

"Fern," Kai closed his eyes for a moment. "I don't regret it. I don't regret any of it... BUT, you must understand this. I have a reputation, you don't. It's only fair for you to respect that, then maybe... just, maybe..."

Fern's mouth heaved open like a yawning hippos. Now she really did feel like crying. She jumped up and down excitedly on the spot. "Oh Kai, Kai! Maybe... do you mean it?! Is this..." Kai silenced her with his hand.

"Quiet..." He left a convincing smile on his lips. With that, he turned around. Fern's voice was lost yet again, and all she could bring herself to do was stare at him as he left the room, drawing the curtain behind him.

'That... smile...' She suddenly let out a funny noise, like a squeak and a scream mixed in one. 'Is this for real?' The most brightest smile crawled over her lips, and she flashed her teeth, ecstatic. She just couldn't understand why he didn't regret it. It was so unlike Kai, yet maybe... he had changed. Maybe this time, she really had brought him out of his shell.

'Werex! I think... I think... I really like him!' She beamed happily to her bitbeast, dancing around the room.

'What I knew all along, Fern...' Her wise bitbeast laughed back, causing Fern to blush. 'But, please. It's a bit of a nuisance really. What about Black Pele? The tournament starts today. What are you going to do?'

Fern's head dropped. Her smile faded into a disheartened frown. The mention of her always sank her heart. 'I... I'm going to take her to the tournament. I have no choice.. her power.. it's... I don't want to risk anyone's life, and I'm going to shove her in Flint's face.'

'Or try to,' Said Werex.

'Thanks for the vote of confidence,' Fern sighed, beginning to get dressed.

Werex pulled to her defence. 'You and I both know.'

'When I figure out a way around this, I'll let you know. Right now I don't care. I won't know anything until... the time comes. We'll just have to wait.' Fern said absently, pushing Werex from her thoughts. She was having such a good morning too, until that problem was back into her thoughts. She growled suddenly and ran her fingers over her face, digging them in. She knew she was struggling coming up with ideas to dispose of the blade. Thinking about it made her head hurt...

She sighed and got dressed quickly, rushed to the toilet then joined the gang in the main room. Tyson and Max were running around excitedly, while Kenny was directing them to stop along with Dizzi. Kai was sat in front of the TV, though not watching it of course. He had his eyes closed and his thoughts were left subconscious. Ray was sat at the table with Driger in his hands. He looked nervous, fiddling around with it while appearing unaware of the loudness from Tyson and Max.

Tyson spotted Fern and waved."Oh hey Fern! Big day for us huh! Make sure you give us the biggest support a team could ask for!" Ray, Kenny and Max looked at Fern.

There was no way she could let them down. With Black Pele in her pocket, she shifted a guilty smile. "Of course. Hehe. It's getting serious now.. just... make sure you beat the Blade Warriors, okay?"

Tyson stuck up his thumb. "A-OKAY!"

"You want something to eat?" Ray asked, grinning nervously. He wasn't the only one who was nervous. She physically didn't feel like eating. She felt sickness in her stomach, like her nerves were teasing her.

She shook her head quickly. "No thanks, I'm not hungry..." She began grinding the bottom of her T-shirt. 'I don't deserve anything.'

The small but cosy BBA bus arrived on time and before they all knew it they were on their way... to possibly one of the most daunting battles they might ever have to face. Even Tyson was showing some stress, having gone through about twenty sheets of paper trying to come up with simple strategies.

Tyson sat next to Kenny at the back, while Max and Ray were in front of them. Finally Fern and Kai sat at the front in undoubted silence. It was no secret that he was probably pretty nervous too. Like he ever was going to admit it though.

"You.. nervous?" She asked, swallowing hard.

Kai raised a closed eye at her and opened it, staring at her from the corner. His eyebrows raised when he noticed her hands were shaking within Werex's grip. Realizing he had noticed her uneasiness, she slipped her hands into her trouser pockets.

"No. But it looks like you are," He stated, unfolding his arms and resting one over his head, touching the back of the seat. Fern looked away from him, wanting to laugh. She had _kissed_ those perfect lips. How could she ever look at him seriously again?

"I'm just scared for you, that's all," She smiled, looking back up at him with her amazing eyes.

'Hmmm...' Kai took advantage of this moment to stare at the colour of her eyes. They looked like something drawn from the sky, like a burning star.

"So, are you nervous?" She repeated again.

"I already told you no," He said again, this time with a smile to go with it. She looked shocked at this, so Kai dropped his smile. "You're an exception."

Fern giggled. "Oh really? Well that's great, because when you smile for me, your eyes shine. Seriously, do it more often." Her voice lowered so no one behind them could hear. "And... when you kiss, I can feel your smug smile on my lips." She licked her lips like a hungry tiger, letting a soft purr leave her lips. "It's nice."

Kai's eyes widened a little at this. He had never talked like this before, and yet now he was finally beginning to see why people did. It was kind of.. fun, he sighed to himself.

"I don't usually find the fun in annoying fan girls whispering out of order things into my ear..." He spoke with a tinge of amusement in his voice. Fern giggled and moved her head closer to Kai, pleased there was no gaps in these type of chairs so they were totally alone.

He turned and faced forward again as her head slid beside his ear jokily. "But remember, I'm no fan girl. I'm a tiger fan." Kai rolled his eyes and suppressed chuckling in order to prevent attention from his team mates.

"A tiger fan huh?"

"Yup... _tiger_," She grinned, moving away from his face now, feeling her cheeks impale with flushing. Suddenly, a serious face turned on, looking at him lightly. He stared back in wonder. "You really don't know do you?"

"Know what?" He asked, unable to avoid her green gaze, catching the hint of red burst through like a shooting star.

"You really don't know how special you are," Fern whispered, feeling another bridge of pink travel over her nose. Kai's face appeared unmoved, although the slight movement in his blood-red eyes showed her he was awed. "You're a great guy really, when you're not being a jerk." She giggled and he cracked a smirk. "Inside. Deep inside, you're caring really, aren't you? You care..."

"Look at all the people! It looks like the whole of America has turned up!" Tyson's voice broke their moment much to her disappointment. They looked out of the window to see what the fuss was. On the opening day, there was alot of people, so everyone half expected there to be the same amount. How wrong they were.

Outside, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of people stood covering the streets of Long Island, cheering and waving manically, seen from their luminous yellow bus. Lots of people were holding signs of admiration, including little dedications to Max and pictures of Kai with giants red hearts around him and huge banners that read "Tyson's Our Man." and there was even shouts for joy for Ray and Kenny among the fan girls.

There was a group of boys holding a huge banner reading "We want more Fern". For some reason, she nearly fell off her seat. How the hell had they gotten hold of her name in the first place?

Tyson and Max were laughing manically at her. She sent them a powerful glare, managing to shut them up. They still couldn't apprehend the crowd size. It was twice the size as it was a few days ago, and that sure was big.

"I'm getting butterflies," Fern said worriedly, the size of the crowd intimidating her eyes.

"Yeah, well, I'm having kittens!" Kenny groaned.

"I'm bricking it," Max joined in.

Tyson rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, I get the picture. You're all nervous, apart from me. I can handle this." He stood up in his seat and waved enthusiastically to the crowd, causing their cheers to become more and more rowdy.

"Nice going Ty, they're literally gonna jump on us when we step out of here. Poor Kai..." Kenny said with feeling, thinking of all those fan girls he seemed to attract each year.

Tyson huffed. "Poor Kai my butt. There's more girls screaming for me than him," He said loudly enough so Kai could hear. Fern giggled and glanced at Kai who was ignoring Tyson's comments with ease.

The bus pulled around the corner and rode in to the stadium grounds. The stadium stood heavenly above in the clouds, looking down on the bus with such radiance it was as though the building itself was routing for them. Another bus was parked nearby. 'They must already be here...' Fern guessed, narrowing her eyes as she felt Black Pele in her pocket dig against her leg.

The grounds were free from fans thankfully for Ray who was really feeling the pressure now, and with that, they stepped off the bus and were greeted with thousands of rowdy fans behind the great barrier that looked like it was about to collapse any minute. Fern gulped and held onto Kenny's arm.

"There sure is alot of them.." She said, sending nervous grins at the fans, Tyson waving like mad and Ray stood smiling at them, winking occasionally at the girls who called out his name. Max was stood beside Tyson, enjoying the attention. Kai stood away with his arms closed, as per usual.

Mr Dickenson was coming towards them with a smile on his face. Tyson waved and grinned. "Hey Mr. D!"

The old man stopped in front of them. "Now boys, let's go inside before you're crushed with those giant banners. Goodness knows what they're going to do with them afterwards, but we're going straight into the arena. The Blade Warriors are there now. After that we'll let the fans in and that's it! The beginning of the final!"

Tyson punched his fist through the air. "Alright, haha! Let's do this! And win!" The Bladebreakers followed Mr. Dickenson into the stadium, leaving behind lots of fans who screamed their names as though they were dying. Walking down the corridor into the arena, Fern felt her stomach really churning now. This was it. The guilt swallowed her immensely, she could hardly keep herself walking in a straight line. She wanted to throw up right then.

The stadium, as experienced before, was simply enormous. Across from their stand was another, with blue curtains drawn along. Mr. Dickenson led them to their stand which also had pull-along curtains. "Talk about luxurious," Tyson muttered.

Mr. Dickenson gladly heard. "Yes, it may well be, but this is part of the plan. You're going to remain in these boxes with the curtains closed. When your team is announced, you'll step out. It's unexpected and the fans'll love it."

"Hmmm, really?" Ray asked, a little unsure.

"Scared?" They swung their heads around in the direction of the sneered voice. The Blade Warriors stepped out of their stand, blades in hands, looking almost too prepared.

Tyson glared and hung his fists out. "Not at all. But I think you should be!" Ray and Max stepped side-by-side of Tyson, their arms folded, backing him up all the way. Uncheerful laughter erupted from the Warriors, standing alot more sophisticated than them.

Fern's legs turned to jelly in fear. Her green eyes were shot open wide, a gasp leaving her mouth. She took a step back behind Kai. He stood ruthlessly, sending looks that if could kill, would tear those Blade Warriors apart.

"I doubt, highly. You know you can't win. So why not hand over your bitbeasts now to save yourselves from a thrashing? Humiliation, is the worst form of feeling anyone could hold," Flint, the leader, spoke in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Bitbeasts? Oh, so that's what you want!?" Tyson cried. "Dream on!"

Fern's jaw fell to the ground. 'How... How DARE THEY! Demand their bitbeasts in front of them!? Am I just a joke to them!? It's like they're just toying with me!'

The red head stepped forward and yelled. "SHUT UP! Who do you think you are? Please enlighten me! Because all I see are waste of spaces with the intelligence of a friggin' sloth! Oh, and that's an insult to the sloth's."

Max smiled competitively. 'Woa, go Fern.'

Rio, Alex and Sam glanced at each other with dangerous-looking expressions pouting in her direction. Alex ran his slender fingers through his blue hair, then placed his hand on his hip. "Watch your mouth."

Rio pulled his long, dark blue jacket closed and held it there. "And who do you think you are? Small, puny. Little rat. You're a pointless edition to that team. You make it look even more pathetic. I don't suppose... you want them to know?"

Fern's eyes widened, her breath officially lost in her throat. Before Tyson could throw a punch at one of them, Mr. Dickenson coughed loudly and stepped in. "Alright, alright. That's enough thank you. Positions please, the fans are about to be let in..."

Kai narrowed his eyes at the opposing team. 'Want us to know.. what?' Nobody else seemed to notice except him, while they just sent deathly gazes.

The sniggering laughter of the Blade Warriors echoed throughout the quiet stadium whilst turning around and heading back towards their box. Fern watched, a worried expression on her face. She couldn't help, she just lost it. The fact was now, she would have to watch her mouth if she wanted to keep her friends from getting hurt. Tyson finally turned around and lowered his fists. "Are you okay!?"

Fern's green eyes flashed in guilt. They looked so sad, like all happiness had been drained from them, when a colourful rainbow is washed away with dead end rain. He had never seen her look so upset. "I'm fine, let's just do this okay? Just win." A smile finally found her lips.

Tyson smirked back and nodded. "Right." Ray and Max smiled too, and the whole team took their place behind the curtain. Eventually after tickets were taken, crowds of people could be heard entering the stadium. Ray desperately needed the toilet for the third time today, his nerves not hesitating to show.

Kenny was shaking like a little bunny, clutching onto Dizzi. "Okay guys, who's going first? By the look on these guys, I'm sure they're the type to use the best 'till last. Who wants to be up against Flint?"

"Me!" Tyson raised his hand. "I'll go last." Kenny nodded and typed into Dizzi. Fern sat at the end of the row next to Ray who was desperately fiddling with Driger now. Max was feeling a bit sick, and Kai was.. just Kai.

"Can you imagine the size of that crowd..." Max said nervously, taking Draciel out from his belt and looking down at his shining bit chip. "All of those people... I've never been to such a big stadium before. Why have they built this so big?"

"Seriously guys, this isn't the time. We only have a few minutes to decide who's up first. I know it's daunting but whatever it takes, we have to win this if we want to proceed to the world championships!" Kenny explained, seeming exasperated.

Max sighed. "Okay, I'll go up first! May as well get it over with! Because straight after I'm grabbing us some cake!"

Everyone laughed. Kenny giggled, "Hehe, okay Max. Sugar might calm our nerves a bit... Kai, will you go second? It might settle everyone's worry if you show your intentions." Kai opened his crimson eyes and nodded briefly. He caught eye contact with Fern, who, shone her eyes at him in return of a soft look. "So that leaves Ray third then... and Tyson last. Great, it's sorted!"

The voice of DJ Jazzman escaped to their ears, announcing the start of the final of the American tournament. Fern held her stomach in her arms, clutching it like she was in deep, nauseating pain. 'This is just awful... what am I supposed to do?'

"Helloooooo and welcome to the final of the American Tournament Folks!" He announced, gladly rising the crowd into an even bigger hype. When hearing their vicious roars, Fern just held onto her tummy tighter, her eyebrows falling as though she was in pain. "What a flashy new stadium huh! Ok! Why not introduce our FINALISTSSSS!"

"This is our game," Kai sighed and drew the long, blue curtain, watching the faces of the audience drawl into amazement. And thus, the whole stadium was in view of the Bladebreakers, the noise of the cheers draining through them, literally. Fern wanted to faint. Not just because of the size of the crowd, but the little number in her pocket too. Tyson, Max and Ray stepped out along with Kai, while Fern and Kenny curled up together on the bench, staring at the crowd in intimidation.

Tyson waved enthusiastically at the crowd while Max grinned sheepishly and Ray just smiled away his nerves. "THE BLADEBREAKERS!" DJ Jazzman announced, and another roar of cheers erupted. "And now... in the other corner..."

Flint, Alex, Sam and Rio stepped out of the curtains and walked out a few steps, their hard, scary muscles clenching as the grips on their blades tightened. "THE BLADE WARRIORS!" Strings of shouts echoed from the crowd, though wasn't anywhere near as loud as the cheer the Bladebreakers had gotten. Tyson smirked and Max stuck his tongue out at them, making Rio clench his teeth. He was known to have a bad temper.

"Alright, let's get this thing starteddd!" DJ Jazzman yelled through his microphone. In front of them, turning from a small, silver bowl, the dish swivelled around like a rotating windmill and moulded into the ground, finally exposing a much bigger, complicated dish. It was still shiny and silver, but spikes were layered on the outside, sharpening together like knives pitching together.

The audience including the teams, grimaced to the sound. "Welcome to Spikegrid. It's simple- if the spikes touch your blade, you lose. If you're knocked out the dish or you stop, you lose. Now, shall we get this show on the road!?" The crowd shouted back in agreement. "Okay! Will the first competitors PLEASE step forward!!"

Max stepped forward with his blade and launcher in hand, smiling to himself. He had a feeling this was going to be easy. He had faced much harder obstacles than spikes before.

Flint, the team leader, ruffled in dark, chocolate hair seductively. He smirked to himself and walked forward, whisking his blade in his fingers as though taunting. Max gasped along with his team, even Kai. Flint was first? 'What type of strategy is that? They're wasting their best blader probably.' Max's blue eyes flashed in worry. So, this wasn't going to be easy after all.

"Max! I know you can do it!" Ray and Tyson shouted together in confidence. Max turned around and smiled at them, then walked towards the dish in line with Flint.

"This sure is exciting," DJ Jazzman wheezed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Okay, BLADERS READY!" Max and Flint pointed their launchers at the dish. Hearts beating, the countdown began, " 3-2-...1!"

"LET IT RIP!" Max and Flint yelled so their voices could be heard over each other's. In a flash their blades were ripped off their ripcords and thrown into the dish, the voices of their fans screaming to no end.

Tyson, Ray and Kai sat back down at the stand, watching on tensely as the battle began. Flint's new and transformed blue blade, packed with a dangerous new attack ring, bounced around the dish like a rocket out of control, gliding along the rim dangerously, missing the spikes by a mile. Max gulped to himself and his green blade slid around, his speed nothing compared to Flint's.

'But he must have a weakness,' Max thought, sending his blade crashing towards the edge, trying to avoid the popping-up spikes desperately. Flint smirked as his blade rammed into Max's, sending it right to the opposite end of the dish! Max's blue eyes widened, his blade just touching the edge when it rolled back down. He earned himself a cheer from the crowd for staying focused.

"You'll have to do better than that Maxie," He mocked, having heard his team mates call him that. Max scowled and forced his blade towards Flint's. The blue blade scarcely dodged the clash and wriggled around the upcoming spikes that rose from the dish, which almost stabbed Max's in the process. Draciel turned the corner and went for Flint again, successfully capturing Levhell off guard close to the edge.

He was about to hit the opposition with such a clash it would be the end for him. Out of nowhere, Flint's blade suddenly devised a quick twist and turned around, swapping places with Max. Everyone's faces froze as Levhell closed in on Max's blade. Max screamed inside, his heart thumping out of his body. 'I can't lose! No, not to him!'

"DRACIEL!! Gravity Control!" With a burst of brilliant light that scarred the eyes of every person in the stadium, a great, purple turtle formed from the sparks of radiance. Quickly, a whirlwind of water appeared and defended the struggling green blade, successfully blocking Flint's attack.

The ruffian frowned. "Alright then, if that's how you want to play it. LEVHELL!" A wave of blue light erupted from the devil beyblade, much brighter than Max's was. A giant snake slithered from the blue light, hissing under it's panting breath. The leviathan towered over Draciel, wrapping it's deadly body around the turtle and squeezing, echoed cries coming from the tortured turtle.

Max gasped. "DRACIEL!" He cried, clutching his sweating forehead.

Tyson gripped onto the edge of the bench, his dark eyes wide and encouraging. "MAX! Pull yourself together! DO SOMETHING!" Max spun around and stared in fear at Tyson, and the rest of the team, who looked on with their eyes praying for his triumph. Draciel was still being strangled by Levhell, the deadly sniggering of Flint steering Max into white hot anger.

He spun his head back onto the match and it was a whole new turn for him. It was like his whole body burst into flames, an unknown bravery appearing from absolutely nowhere. "FLINT, THAT'S IT! GO DRACIEL!" Concentrating with every cell in his brain, he managed to allow Draciel a grip of strength. Slowly, the turtle's arms began to shake, rocking the snake steadily away from him. "Yes.. go.. Draciel... GO!" The giant turtle erupted from the leviathan's grip, a loud cheer bursting from the crowd and Levhell was shot away, releasing a hiss of annoyance.

Flint glared at Max for a moment, though to his surprise, he grinned suddenly. Max drove his blade away from Flint's, keeping it steady and spinning in the middle of the dish. "Levhell... Ice Blast!"

Tyson's jaw fell open. "Ice Blast?! That doesn't sound at all good!" Fern looked at Tyson anxiously. She sure hoped he was wrong...

A sudden gush of light formed around Levhell and it's muscles began to grow, bigger and bigger, as well as it's scales that formed into giant icicles. Max shook his head hastily, bringing his attention back onto his own blade. He had to avoid this attack, no matter what. Suddenly, the icicles from the leviathan's scales made a pinging sound, popped out of his skin and _shot_ towards Draciel.

Max took quick action. "GRAVITY CONTROL!" Another sea of water formed around the bitbeast's body, blocking all vital parts that could end the match. The icicles bounced off the water barrier and retreated back onto Leviathan's skin, slowly forming back into scales.

Flint snarled again, and Max laughed, sticking out his tongue yet again. Tyson was heard cheering and applauding in the background. Slowly, the water barrier drained away and Draciel was left open again.

_Slit._

Max stopped. His scared blue eyes fell onto Draciel. Suddenly, everything built up inside earlier fell. He couldn't believe it. The whole crowd fell into a numb silence, the quiet roar of Draciel falling to the ground flashing through Max's eyes. Over and over. The giant icicle that had slid straight through Draciel's shell remained strong and hard, slowly transforming back into a scale. "D...D..." Max fell to his knees. He stared at the floor, gasping for breath, feeling the terrible pain of loss within his heart.

"Silly boy. You didn't see it coming. The icicles that bounced off before were just that, a failure. But you didn't see the sneaky one did you? You were too involved with yourself," Flint said pityingly, showing no mercy towards him. Finally, Draciel returned to Max's out-of-power blade, shallowed in pain. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of him." Max looked up in shock, tears running down his face.

"No, please... don't..." He begged, using one hand to wipe away the falling tears. For a second, it was almost as though Flint felt for him and considering his beg. His cold, fearless brown eyes stared at him in deep pity. He thought he was pathetic.

"Begging? Pfft. Please don't humour me," Flint smirked at the distraught boy. Max's head fell back to the ground, his eyes firing in pain. His tears pattered against the floor.

His team mates were still grieving, mixed with complete surprise. Max's feelings could be felt in each and every one of them, watching the heart-feeling scene as their friend broke down into tears. Tyson felt himself on breaking point. Water welled up inside his eyes. The tension between them was silent and bleeding, including the audience, who were rubbing their eyes, wondering what the hell happened.

DJ Jazzman looked very awkward as Flint's blade shone brightly and grasped the energetic energy from Max's blade. The transfer was taking place. Shadowing, sad green light was sucked slowly into Flint's devilish blue beyblade.

Max closed his eyes, letting the tears run freely anywhere. Physically unable to watch, his head hit the ground in pain. What was he supposed to do? What _could_ he do?

Fern closed her eyes gently. She hid her shaking fingers inside her pockets. Unexpectedly, she felt Black Pele between her grasp. Her eyes shot open. 'Werex... do you know what this means? Pele's control might not be used if their bitbeasts are taken. But I can't take this anymore- I can't just watch my friends fall to pieces like this. I have to find out why they want the bitbeasts. I need to know who their master is. I _have_ to do something'

Tyson stood up. Then Ray and Kenny followed suit, along with Kai. She glanced up at them, the bawls of pain steaming from Max's mouth sickening her insides. She watched as they walked towards him. Tyson bent down beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder, his face in deepest sympathy. Ray leant over Max and threw his arms around him trying to console, while Kenny looked on nervously, his hand clasped over his mouth. He had never seen Max so shaken.

She bowed her head and stood up, joining her friends to comfort Max. He held on for dear life onto Tyson's shoulder for support, crying into his chest, which he so greatly needed.


	26. Fire, Every Time

**Thanks to SpiritualEnergy, rebelmewpheonix, Valinor's Twilight, shadowphoenix101, Blue Fire Phoenix, sakura lover and Sakkuyamon for reviewing :3 -cookie- There might be mistakes because I got this up in a hurry.**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 26- Fire, Every Time**

"So, uh... this round goes to... THE BLADE WARRIORS!" DJ Jazzman announced, with less than much enthusiasm. Flint held his blade in the air, drawling the fans into cheers.

Mr. Dickenson and Tyson's Grandpa were sat together in the crowd, faces full of worry.

"Oh dear Topsy, this doesn't look at all good for the Bladebreakers. Do you think they'll pull through the next round?" Brad Best asked from his commentating point high in the stadium.

"I dunno Brad, Max sure took that hard. Who wouldn't when your bitbeast is taken? It was very harsh," AJ Topper responded sympathetically. "For Flint though, I'm sure he's shouting from the rooftops. And don't call me Topsy."

"If my bitbeast was taken I'd be upset," Brad gestured.

"But you don't _have_ bitbeast, do you?"

"Alright, no need to rub it in..." Brad sighed.

Tyson and Ray helped Max up, who was still understandably sobbing. Ray gave him support and put his arm around him, stumbling back towards the stand, trying their best not to curse Flint any more than they already had. Their next priority was giving Kai support to win the next match, otherwise everything could be over.

Max sat down on the bench, his empty green blade cradling in his small hands. Fern sat next to him to comfort him. "Max, don't you worry. We'll get Draciel back." The rest of the team nodded in encouragement and smiled at the distraught blonde, who was still holding his mouth with one hand in shock. "Kai's up next."

Everyone turned to face Kai. The phoenix bowed his head and grunted, knowing he couldn't mess this up. He just couldn't, there was no competition any more. There was only a winner, between rivals. "They want to fight dirty- then we'll fight with every trick in the book. They won't get away with this."

Max looked up at Kai, his eyes still teary. "But... Draciel. The Blade Warriors are cold and terrifying. Even if we win, will they give me him back?" Ray sighed and dropped his head. He was so upset _for_ Max. Kenny was speechless and was still clutching onto Dizzi.

"I'll work something out," Kai promised, giving Max the thumbs up. "Now, it's my turn..."

"Dizzi... what do you think we should do? These guys are good, it seems I've underestimated them a little," Kenny sighed, staring down at Dizzi with hope in his eyes.

"A _little_? Well chief, I have to say it's not going to be easy. They are good, you're right, but remember, use your will power. It's something they obviously don't have," The bitbeast spoke, uneasiness in her voice. She too was on the edge of breaking. Something definitely wasn't right.

"Go get em' Kai," Tyson grinned, suddenly gaining much-needed confidence again. He turned and winked at Max. "You- don't worry. It's going to be fine." Max blinked at Tyson, his determined face allowing him to catch his lips into a smile. The blonde nodded, finally perking up.

"Okay, who's up for Round Two?" DJ Jazzman called, rising the crowd into dynamism. With that reply, Kai walked forward, his face looking dangerously high spirited at the Blade Warriors, blade in hand. "Everyone it's Kai! Now as you all know, the final is going to consist of four matches to give each member an advantage, and that means captains too! So everyone give it up for Kai." After a round of cheers, Kai waited in much patience for the Blade Warrior he would be facing to step forward. A moment later, the brown haired, gold eyed blader smirked and held up his red blade, launching forward.

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Rio, huh?"

"KAI!"

"Huh?" Kai looked towards the crowd to see the White Tigers and Hilary cheering madly. The Bladebreakers gasped and laughed and even Max managed to pull a smile. Hilary and Mariah were standing on Lee and Gary's shoulders, yelling support.

"YOU CAN WIN THIS KAI!" Mariah shouted, along with an 'Ow' coming from poor Gary whose ear she shouted in.

"YEAH! YOU GO! BEAT THOSE SCUMS!" Hilary screamed, waving her fist around. She almost caught Kevin in the face with it and she even managed to punch Gary. Kai finally cracked a smile. He closed his eyes.

'Yeah. I will win.' With that, the phoenix pointed his blade at the dish. His team threw yells of encouragement at him and he was even sure he heard Max's voice in there too.

"Alright, just watch this!" DJ Jazzman pointed towards the dish. Again, it slowly transformed into a larger stadium and presented itself as a forest of dazzling buildings, looking like skyscrapers. It was representing America of course. "This is skyline, a model designed for perfection! The skyscrapers are beyblade-proof, so if you upset them and crash into them, they'll send your beyblade flying and then it's all over for you!" Kai scowled competitively at Rio from across the dish, who smirked back. A smile that boiled Kai's blood. "Now, shall we get this started!? Bladers ready..."

"Ready to lose?" Rio shot, pointing his launcher at the dish.

Kai smirked, making Rio frown. "No. I'm ready to win."

"ALRIGHT! You go for it Kai!" Tyson shouted.

"3...2...1!" DJ Jazzman announced.

"LET IT RIP!" Rio shouted, pulling his ripcord and his blade smashed into the dish, a streak of electric erupting from his blade as is clashed with the surface. Kai's Dranzer began to glide around, taking the obvious careful approach. "Hmm. That won't do anything."

They each sent a stare at one another, Kai's much more determined than his. "Dranzer!" The blue blade dodged an upcoming skyscraper just in time and began to swoop around the edge, a sharp rasp coming from the swerve the blade took against the dish.

"Gargoyle, attack!" Rio's red blade came flying towards Kai, easily dodging around the deadly skyscrapers and crashed into Dranzer, sending a shake of unbelievable power around the stadium. The collision sparked a huge flare, glowing wildly as the blades stuck together like a magnet, wearing each other down. Kai's eyebrows fell towards his eyes, clenching his fists. There was no way he could lose this. He refused to believe he couldn't.

"Hahahaha. Looks like you should just give up now, Kai," Rio laughed, taking a delight in seeing Kai's blade being throttled towards the skyscrapers as it hastily tried to avoid them, leaving too many close calls for the likes of Kai.

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you," Kai suddenly looked up and grinned at Rio, who sent a dark glare at the phoenix. "I already know you have a pretty bad temper, so I can use that to your disadvantage. What are the odds you'll crack if I carry on? Hmm..." Kai continued to taunt, though kept a very still eye on his blade, still being pressed against by Gargoyle.

Rio's forehead seemed to glow red, the chattering of his teeth not in fear, but in anger. Somehow, he managed to calm down and his tightened fists loosened. "Yeah, right. Gargoyle, Falling Water attack!"

Kai frowned. 'Okay... I _will_ do this...' He watched as a sudden orange flash entered a giant monster into the stadium, quicker than Kai had ever anticipated. A roar left the rotted mouth of the creature, sounding like a strangled cat. Kai's crimson eyes flashed in amazement, knowing immediately that this possessed great strength and power. Gargoyle was covered in rough, brown skin and only had two front legs, that stretched even further than it's giant wings.

"Woa..." Fern gulped, turning to see her team mate's reactions. Their stunned faces told her everything. "Kai... please..."

Kai bowed his head and cracked a confident smile, much to Rio's annoyance. "Hn. You're just dying for me to use Dranzer aren't you? You might be worthy to see her, after all. DRANZER ATTACK!"

Rio growled loudly like he was already tipping over the edge. He fiery golden eyes stared in somewhat fascination, though not intimidation by a long shot, Kai's blade suddenly hollowing the stadium in red light as the most beautiful phoenix he had ever seen shared it's scream with the audience, who all gasped in amazement.

After a little hesitation, Rio's attack finally came into light, pales of water falling down from the giant Gargoyle, bouncing off the floor and covering all of the skyscrapers with sparkling blue water. It looked quite normal and innocent at first, though after a second the water began to swirl like a giant plug hole was sucking everything. Kai growled and focused on Dranzer.

A streak of fire erupted from the phoenix and charged towards the tornado of water. The collision sent powerful waves of water flying from the dish and hitting the crowd, including DJ Jazzman who let out a little eek.

Rio's red blade separated from Kai's from the impact and travelled behind the collision. It was water Vs. fire- the crowd were so intense there was hardly anything escaping their mouths any more. The giant whirlwind of water was protecting Rio's blade from being smothered in fire, while the dancing fire was aiding Kai's blade on the other side from the water.

"KAI! YOU GO FOR IT!" Kai's eyes shot open and he turned around, hearing Fern's voice of support. "You can do it! You have to do it! These guys are beatable, alright!?" Kai looked back on the match, his mouth open.

The intense liquid of the flames burned his eyes, making him squint critically. A sudden newly leashed flame crossed paths over Kai, burning his forehead. A growl of pain left his lips. 'She's right. I have to do this. But.. what does she know? Those guys beat her when we met her down that dark alley...Hey!' Shaking his head, he felt his muscles tense in pain. Despite the pain and everything there was to think about, he couldn't be caught off guard.

Sweat poured from his head, his heart pounding. He could feel the clash of the opposite elements racing through his veins, burning his body up into one big bonfire. He saw that Rio was struggling too, his legs were shaking like jelly, almost slipping away before Kai could make his move. All he had to do was hold on...

'Gah...' He could hardly hear himself think, his hot head burning up fast. 'It's so... hard. To hold on.'

His dark red eyes watched Rio consciously, noting his movements, storing them only just in his compact mind. Rio's eyes stared back like a night owl's, sweat rolling down his head. It looked like every vein in his head was about to pop. Their eyes clashed harder than the water and fire, the two strong colours trying to take over each other, waiting for the other to slip to move in.

"Ugh. I should have won already..." Rio managed to say, but it was barely a whisper.

Kai kept his eyes on him, even though how hard it was facing a great light of flames. "Let's make a deal," Kai endured and Rio's eyes shot open wider, his mouth open. Kai only just managed a grin. "Argh. If we win this tournament, you'll return Max's bitbeast, okay?"

"Huh..." Rio suppressed himself from blinking, his eyes rolling in pain. Kai watched him ponder, his face still too concentrated on the match. "Fine."

Fern stood up in her seat with a start, her eyes wide and momentously bitter. Her fists raised. 'What! No! That liar! He knows perfectly well he doesn't mean that! He expects me to...' Her teeth gritted angrily, her red hair reflecting her eyes- filled with fire, hate.

Ray looked up at her worriedly, his tiger eyes blazing in despair. He couldn't help but agree with her angry eyes, flaunting without hiding. Questions raced through his head, the main one, how ever did these opponents get so strong? It must be bad if Kai is struggling. Another surprising question came to mind- he wondered briefly whether Kai and Fern had a thing going on. 'They have become awfully close lately, but when we mention it, she denies it and he clouds up.' He suddenly erased those thoughts and concentrated on the match, knowing that wasn't a concern right now. 'This isn't the time.'

The staring didn't stop, as crimson clashed against gold. It was almost as if looks could hurt or win them a fight, with such power sparking between them like no other fury could match.

He couldn't blink, no matter what. Rio was fast and might catch him off guard, and that would be a waste. 'A little longer...Ha... he's losing it already...' Rio was shaking manically now, unable to keep his balance for much longer it appeared. His eyes were angry, on the verge of exploding into a temper worse than a tiger's.

The Bladebreakers and the Blade Warriors gasped with the breath they could manage. Rio's golden eyes slid shut, causing an uproar of shrieks from the crowd. DJ Jazzman was too stunned to talk, just as shocked as everyone else.

His eyes flung open again, revealing a set of dark fiery eyes, burning in a monstrous storm. Kai managed a growl of victory. He had finally clicked.

"Arughhh NOO!" His voice became deep though weak, his cheek glowing red. "This can't be happening!" The whirl of water began to pace down slowly, the fire hovering closer and closer towards the red beyblade. Eyes wide and dismayed, Rio froze, his shock creating a terrified look on his face. "No-"

"You see, Rio. You truly are weak. When water and fire clash, the water usually burns the fire out. I guess sometimes it makes it spread, right? Well this is one of those times! With me, fire wins, every time" Kai let loose a cry of power as the fire from his phoenix dramatically burned through the water. All Rio did was stare, his temper finally showing. He was losing control, now was the time. "DRANZER, ATTACKKK!"

A sudden scorch of fire roared from the phoenix and kept coming and coming, gradually burning away all of the water. With Kai's last remaining power, he led his phoenix to victory, a ball of flames larger than the phoenix itself took over the dish, burning up the whole stadium in intense heat.

"Ugh..." Tyson and his friends covered their faces, wincing at the heat desperately. For a few intense moments, a giant beam finally ended the match with a bang, the voice of Rio heard cursing, though crying out angrily as the fire surrounded his blade...

And then suddenly everything stopped. The silence pulled everyone back into curiosity and moved their arms from their faces. The crowd hesitantly looked, having been protecting themselves from the flames.

On the floor, smoking from the hulking clash, a red blade lay on it's side out of the dish. The silence and intensity continued throughout the stadium, still needing a few seconds to take it in. Spinning like there was no tomorrow in the dish, Dranzer raised screams of joy from the audience.

The Bladebreakers couldn't contain their joy and jumped from the bench, shouting at the top of their lungs. Tyson's scream was so meaningful he sounded like a girl. His happiness was something only him and his team could understand.

"Alright!" Max and Ray yelled together, pressing their hands against each other's and celebrating madly. Kenny was shouting in joy too, having been up worrying half the night, it looked like things were finally paying off.

"I could just cry," Kenny said squeakily, his eyes watering and a smile on his face that could win the world's most happiest smile contest. Tyson laughed and threw his arm around him.

"Hahaha. Me too Kenny, me too!" He grinned, rubbing his knuckle into Kenny's head.

Fern stood staring at the scene, her eyes bright and full of energy. A much needed smile erupted onto her face. She didn't know until now how good it was to have something to smile about.

Rio stood, his arms and head hung, staring at his blade in defeat. He moved his fist towards his head, watching it tense. 'How... ' He picked up his blade, staring down at it angrily. 'You're not worthy any more. Master will make me a new one.' A sinister smile rippled over his lips darkly, his eyes flashing.

"Rio! Here, now!" Flint's voice broke his mutters. He spun around and scowled at his captain, in a 'don't lecture me' way. He walked over to his team, his head still hanging low. Even though he knew he had to act like he didn't care, he was devastated he lost. "What were you doing?"

"I lost control that's all," He spoke quite softly, witnessing the annoyed expression on his team mate's faces.

Flint folded his arms. "It doesn't matter. Fern will get Dranzer for us..." A grin suddenly spread across his lips. He made sure Fern caught his gaze before winking at her. She narrowed her eyes and turned around, walking back towards her team mates.

Kai was smiling vacantly, his battered arms and stringy hair showing he needed a good long rest and perhaps a trip to the hospital wing.

"Kai my friend, well done," Tyson was still crying in happiness, his hand placed on his friend's shoulder. The team were crowded on the bench, celebrating for the win.

"Alright guys, the second round goes to Kai! The Bladebreakers!" DJ Jazzman announced excitedly, uproaring the crowd into cheers. "So that means it's one all as present. There's two more battles to go. Basically, if one of the teams wins both, they will win the American tournament! If they win one each, we'll go to a sudden death fifth round between any randomly picked beybladers!"

"Kai, you made us proud dude! And thanks for.. reasoning with him about Draciel," Max smiled softly at Kai.

Max's face was so hopeful and sincere, Fern could hardly stand it. How could she just stand there knowing they weren't going to give Draciel back? Inside, it felt like the guilt was killing her. But she just couldn't risk her friend's lives if Black Pele got into her head again...

"So, that's it for today! The last two matches will take place tomorrow! Now all you lucky guys and girls out there staying over at the stadium tonight, there's going to be a buffet on for you all at the cafeteria! How cool is that! Also the two teams might like to take this time to train, but of course you can rest up too, relax and enjoy the rest of your night." DJ Jazzman yelled into his microphone.

"Wow, what a day," Brad Best wheezed.

"Yeah, no rest for the wicked though, because tomorrow it's happening all over again!" AJ Topped beamed happily.

Brad stalled for a moment. "Yeah... well that's the idea."

"Well, I think Kai deserves a big feed up to raise his energy, so who's coming with us to the buffet? Oh, after we've seen the medics first though." Tyson grinned as the crowd began to leave the stadium, unconsciously noticing the Blade Warriors leave the stadium up the corridor.

Everyone looked at him disbelievingly and sweatdropped.

"Uh... I think you're just saying that because you're hungry, Tyson," Kenny said, earning a sharp look from Tyson.

"Pff, me? No way, I generally care for Kai's welfare. Someone has to feed him. The state he's in, I bet he couldn't even lift a folk," Tyson said in exaggeration, smirking, watching his team mates almost burst into laughter though stopped themselves when Kai looked as though he was about to speak.

"Tyson, you're right for once. We haven't eaten in hours," Kai said with an emotionless face. Ray, Max, Kenny and Fern just stared at him for a moment, unable to decide whether they were more shocked that he agreed with Tyson or that he wanted to eat with them and mean it.

Max perked up. "Yeah. Then we can hit the spas! What do you say?"

Tyson's fist thumped through the air. "Alright Maxie, it sounds so cool!"

Fern stood up with her arms folded, staring at the boys like they were stupid. "What am I supposed to do? I can't.. uh.. hit the spa with you guys?" She felt herself become quite flustered at the thought of sharing a spa with some naked guys.

A blush found it's way onto Tyson's cheeks. "Uh.. well..." He stuttered for a moment, seriously cursing Max for bringing it up. "Wear your costume? I know, we'll all wear swimming shorts, don't you worry."

Fern nearly died in embarrassment.

---

"Uhhh..." Fern's eyes were narrowed and confused, as she sat in a spa with a bunch of exposed-chested boys. It was all well and dandy, but she couldn't help feel at least a little bit shy. After all, this didn't happen everyday. It was like a treat for her. 'Not that I deserve one...'

Tyson was relaxed against the rocks, his body moaning delightfully as the gorgeous water drifted around his chest. Relaxation was what they needed all along. And after that win, it felt even better. Kenny was looking across at everyone nervously, still feeling a bit uneasy having a girl in the spa. Especially because it was Fern. 'I wonder what she thought about the love letter I sent her..' He wondered.

Suddenly, he found himself blushing madly and unluckily for him, everyone noticed.

Tyson laughed. "Oh boy, Kenny's got the blushers."

Fern rolled her eyes. 'The... blushers...?'

Max smiled and splashed him jokily. "Are you sensitive about being all bare Chief?"

Tyson laughed louder this time, causing Fern to cringe. She looked at everyone nervously, her cute orange costume resting against her body perfectly. "Or maybe, it's because Fern's in the spa with us?

Kenny pulled to his defence, the blush rising even more on his cheeks. He shook his head repeatedly. "No no no that's not it at all!" Another laugh left everyone's lips, minus Kai and Fern. Tyson, Kenny and Ray were leant against the rocks while Max was floating in the middle of the pool, enjoying the water caressing his chest. Kai was opposite them, leaning against the side with his arms stretched wide. His eyes were closed, as his body was aided by the warm water. Fern was near him though away from the side

"Leave Kenny alone!" Fern smirked, rubbing the back of her head. She didn't show it much any more, but she was trying not to blush. "So, Tyson." She said, trying to take their mind off the subject. "I can't believe you snook food out of the buffet! There was hardly anything left in there."

Tyson grinned. "Oh, trying to change the subject are we?" Fern blushed madly. Tyson laughed. "No biggy, so what. That food was so good!" Ray coughed loudly purposely and everyone turned to look at him.

"Yeah, it was good, and the time it took you to eat all of it was probably a world record for you," Ray smirked cheekily, letting out a little moan as his body sunk deeper into the soothing water.

Tyson looked obnoxiously annoyed. "Hm. Not just for _me_, Ray. _Everyone."_

Everyone giggled, apart from Kai who simply managed a small smile. Fern caught the smile just as it faded away, his face turning back into a cold mask. "How's that head doing, Kai?" Fern asked, sliding next to him.

An eye peeked open and strode around the spa, watching the faces of his team mates smiling at him comfortingly. He then absently locked his gaze with Fern, pulling her a look as though he had just been disturbed. "It's better now." Fern noticed his eyes suddenly squeeze, grimacing at what she suspected to be pain.

"Are you sure?" Fern asked, concerned.

"Yeah, do you want some more ice?" Asked Ray.

Kai snorted. "Ice in a spa?"

Ray narrowed his eyes. "Uh..."

"Duh!" Fern giggled, moving closer towards Kai, who didn't even flinch when her arm stroked his accidentally. "Come on, let me have a look at the wound." She moved her hand over his head and moved a strand of blue hair out of his eyes. Underneath the moved hair, was a dark red wound, looking painfully deep and not fully recovered yet.

Kai's eyes opened and she felt a hand swat her hand away. "Off."

"But Kai, you might need to see the doctor again if it keeps bleeding!" She exclaimed, ignoring him and moving his hair out of the way again.

He felt a shiver riddle down his spine unexpectedly, her hands so soft it was like them alone could take the pain away. But that was just it, he couldn't let his friends know he was thinking that. "Away, please." Kai snapped again quietly, moving away from her this time.

Fern growled and followed to his annoyance. "It might need more medical attention. It's nothing to worry about, sometimes wounds start to bleed again for a while. It's best to stop it. Here let me-" She reached out her hand again only for it to be swatted away again. "For goodness sakes Kai!"

Tyson giggled. "They're like a married couple." Kai's eyes shot open.

Max laughed with him. "Yeah they are, but I thought it was you and Kai who act like a married couple?"

"Not any more! The new couple is Kai and Fern, right Ray?" He smirked, winking at the Neko-Jin. Ray smiled sheepishly at Kai and Fern, not wanting to insult Kai in any way. Kai was glaring at them all, seeming to try and hide his intenseness though failed and Ray spotted the insecurity in his eyes, the guilty look almost like lies and lies were swirling around, reaching denial.

Ray looked away and down at the water, thinking. 'Just what are you lying to yourself about, Kai?'

Kai quickly looked away from Ray, seeing his face fall into concentration. Had he noticed how awkward he was feeling? The laughter of his team mates, joking about Kai and Fern, brought him to stand up, the pain in his head banging like a drum. Everyone stopped and stared.

"I'm tired, I'm off to bed," He pulled a blind, unreadable face at his team. Somehow, he had gotten back his esteem quickly and captured back his cold expression.

Tyson sighed. "We were only kidding, man." He suddenly grinned. "Even though there's definitely something there." Kai's eyes narrowed in irritation, only just managing to suppress his confused face that would show just how much of a tangle his mind was right now. Tyson just smiled and closed his eyes momentarily, making Kai wait a little longer in wonder.

"You know, it's great here. Being with you guys..." Tyson began.

"Are you getting sloppy on us now Tyson?" Ray laughed.

Tyson glared at him. "I'm just saying, without you guys, there wouldn't be a final. And guess what? Tomorrow... we're going to win! I can feel it! We're going to win both matches and show those Blade Warriors who the real beybladers are!" Tyson held out his hand flat. "Put her there."

Everyone smiled and placed each of their hands on top, starting with Max, then Kenny, then Ray. At first Kai hesitated, still feeling a little humiliated his friends teased him. He finally put his hand in, deciding it would at least limit their suspicion. Max turned to Fern. "Fern?" He smiled at her softly with his deep, happy blue eyes. For a moment she looked sad, looking up at the still hurting Max. She knew he was still hurting, she could feel his pain... how could anyone get over that?

Finally smiling, she reached out her hand and placed it on top of Kai's. Her green eyes caught crimson for a second, though quickly retreated, avoiding any more comments from the team. Tyson grinned. "Alrighttt! Thanks to Kai's win, the Bladebreakers are gonna be victorious!"

"Yeah!" Everyone threw their hands up into the air, determination spreading in the sky.

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**I won't be updating again for about 4 weeks because I'm moving soon -.- So it'll be complicated and yeah, you know. I don't even want to move. -sigh- Anyway, hope you enjoyed.**


	27. If Mistakes Could Kill

**! Wow! So sorry! I know I said I'd have it up in 4 weeks but I haven't had internet access. :3 I'm so grateful of you all to wait so long. Thanks to shadowphoenix101, Blue Fire Phoenix, Gackets Sanura, RussianBells, Thegoldenlock, rebelmewphoenix, TsukiKishuko and SpiritualEnergy for reviewing and everyone else who's reading. Enjoy.**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 27- If Mistakes Could Kill**

'I'll have to be prepared if I'm going to get through this.'

Fern held her sweaty forehead and leant over, resting her hands on her knees. Her heavy breathing rattled the silent night, the glowing moon hung high in the sky, watching over her like a guardian.

She steadily straightened herself up, still worn out. For a moment, she stared up at the star-filled blackness above her, eyes barley able to stay open. Somehow, she found it in herself to smile. The threats and everything that was going on lingered over her like a cloud and had drove her into deep, hard practise- and she knew she couldn't stop now.

She raised her launcher, managing to catch her breath again. "Alright Werex, one more time!"

The rest of the Bladebreakers had found their way to the gym at last (minus Kenny who went back to their room to figure out more strategies). Although it was Kai's idea to get a bit of training done, Tyson had other things in mind.

The cold phoenix rolled his eyes, running smoothly on a treadmill at 8 miles per hour. Next to him was Max, who still couldn't believe his eyes. He could barely manage 4 miles per hour, then there was Kai, running continuously like he was chasing someone. While Max on the other hand, was running like _he _was being chased.

It felt like it anyway, struggling to catch his breath, scared the treadmill would suddenly swallow him. He was never that keen on them. 'This sure is hard work...' He glanced over at Ray who was looking like he was having the time of his life on the cycling machine with a magazine propped in front of him. The blonde narrowed his eyes. 'I bet he's got it on the lowest level.'

He heard Kai grunt suddenly. Max speeded up, thinking it was his pathetic pace making Kai angry and restless. Instead, it seemed he had his eyes on someone else. Sat in the magazine corner with a cup of coffee, was Tyson, his legs stretched lazily on the chair opposite him where a lilac-haired girl sat looking quite uncomfortable.

"Did you see Kai out there? Wasn't he cool?" Tyson grinned.

"Yeah, for the tenth time. I'm routing for you guys, you know, in case you haven't noticed," She smiled.

Tyson blushed. "Well guess what Violet! I'm up tomorrow, so I can go on about how awesome I was afterwards too."

Violet narrowed her eyes and appeared increasingly annoyed, but smiled. "Uh-huh... Of course I'll have to bring my ear muffs along too."

Tyson punched his fist through the air then stopped abruptly, suddenly clicking on to her mocking. "Wait... that's bad, right?"

Kai sighed heavily and turned off his treadmill. Max looked across at him, remaining quiet in case he bit his head off. It looked like he was becoming fed up of Tyson. "I'm off to train outside. Anything to get away from Tyson."

Max smiled through his teeth. "Sure thing Kai. Tyson really should be training, maybe you should tell him." He said humbly, trying not to put Kai in an even worse mood.

"TYSON!"

Tyson jumped. "Yikes!" He spun around and saw Kai stood glaring at him through his crimson eyes. "What!?"

"Stop flirting and get training. You can use that isolated one over there," Kai pointed to a lone treadmill across the room from everyone. Tyson growled and let out a moan, knowing he couldn't argue because he probably was right after all the calories he had put on from the buffet. He slid across the room with his shoulders hung low like a kid being sent in the corner for not doing what he was told.

Kai smiled. "Good. Bit of discipline never hurt anyone, ey?" And with that, he walked out of the room, arms folded and his expression vacant yet unreadable.

Ray blinked. "Say, what's up with him? His head has been in the clouds ever since... well... ever since the match, I guess."

Max looked towards the door where Kai had left, his face spread in concern. "Maybe he's just scared we might not make it tomorrow." Suddenly he grinned. "But you and Tyson will show him, right?"

Ray smiled. "You betcha. Nothing can get in our way. Absolutely nothing. I'm going to train outside later, but after Kai of course."

Kai found himself wandering the stadium, his feet dragging him along the blue-lit corridors, the atmosphere peaceful as the light from the giant windows spread into the building and washed over his figure, making him illuminate in a bright blue. He listened to his quiet steps, his head low, thinking about that one girl.

There was something he couldn't shrug off his shoulders, like something was indeed holding him back. It wouldn't be too long before his team mates catch on, and then what? He'd be the laughing stock. Even in the spa a few hours ago, his team said things he had never heard before. Things they wouldn't dare say before.

And it all linked back to Fern. He sighed. He needed to find her and talk everything through before he went mad, and his reputation shattered. Otherwise the final two matches tomorrow might be in shambles if his head was elsewhere and his team mates needed his help.

He continued to walk down the curving corridor, until he stopped to read a sign on the wall. He blinked once and sighed. "Training zone, huh?" He supposed he may as well have a look. He opened the door leading towards the outside he had only seen once which was while on the tour of the stadium.

He stepped outside and looked around. Everything looked very different in the dark. The lime, bushy trees had turned dark and intimidating in the slight wind, swaying back and fourth. The bushes rattled endlessly, the creamy moonlight lighting up the tops of the leaves.

He squinted his eyes in the darkness and stared up at the floodlights. They had been switched off.

Suddenly something caught his ears. He stood alertly on the same spot, looking around. It sounded like... a beyblade.

"If the Blade Warriors want a fight... I'll give them something to fight for." Kai narrowed his eyes in confusion. The faint talking was coming from around the corner, and by the looks of things, there was no light there either. First of all who on Earth would turn the lights off while training in the dark? And who'd be so tough to talk like that?

Kai decided it was best to focused, preparing himself to expect anything. Walking quite quickly towards the corner, the noise became louder. Followed by a loud crash, the stench of smoke followed him like a fly. Whoever was training like this must be pretty serious about it.

Kai's mouth fell open a little when he saw what was happening- and who it was. Having not seen him yet, Fern continued to battle with obstacles created by herself, her red and black blade dancing around at unbelievable speed- moving faster and faster like a bullet, a strange red glow began to emerge from the blade.

Staring with eyes waded open, the luminous twinkle expressing from the red light lit up the dark sky in a wash of colour, reflecting through Kai's eyes, his natural crimson colour burning like fairy lights. He continued to stare in amazement, watching the exhausted girl pushing herself to her limit. She looked like she was about to fall down any minute, her arms swaying and eyes drooping. Though somehow, her blade kept on spinning, the light infusing brighter and brighter.

"Now Werex!" Suddenly the blade took a sharp turn and headed towards a large boulder, travelling so fast the concrete on the floor began to rip up, separating from the ground and flying everywhere.

The blade _crashed_ into the rock, swallowing it in a huge red light that splashed like a tidal wave over it and millions of tiny pieces of rock escaped the impact, erupting like a volcano into the sky. Kai's mouth fell open wider, shocked by the power of the blade. It was unbelievable. He could literally feel the strength that the blade held.

The wandering smoke from the left over boulder began to very slowly drift away into the jet black sky as though being sucked into a hole. Out of the stream of thick, grey smoke, a battered figure stood hovered over her blade, a wary but strong smile on her face.

Her arms were sunk low, face covered in bruises, swaying gently to keep herself from falling over. A chuckle left her lips. "Well done Werex. We did it." She picked up her blade and held it tight, staring down at it for a moment.

"What was that?"

"Huh!?" Fern's head snapped up and stared towards the voice, her face as white as a sheet. For a moment she gaped, green eyes stretched wide. "K-Kai!?"

Her arm unconsciously fell down and placed Werex back into her pocket. Her silence once again made him wonder what she was thinking. 'Kai.. how much have you seen?'

"Are you training?" Kai asked, knowing the question already though wanted to hear it from her.

Fern nodded. "Ah..." A sharp pain ripped across her chest. She held her chest and breathed lightly, trying to sooth it herself. She hadn't realized how far she had actually pushed herself. "Yeah, training." To Kai's surprise, she suddenly looked up at him and grinned, her hand still rubbing her chest. "Thanks to everyone's help I can stand on my own two feet and train just like you lot too."

Kai seemed to narrow his eyes in suspicion, and in a flash his expression changed into a serious look. "Listen, there's something I gotta tell you..."

Fern looked at him through dreary eyes. " I wondered when you were finally going to admit it. So.. the letter was from you after all huh?"

Kai looked at her sceptically. "What letter?"

"Don't pretend, you know! The love letter you sent me. 'When I first met you, I thought you were a fallen angel' right?" Fern smirked, taking an amusement in seeing Kai pull an innocent face.

"What? I didn't send any letter. Why would I?" Kai folded his arms. Fern's smile dropped. He had never looked so genuine before. And confused, at that.

"But... I thought... if you didn't.." Fern raised her head and thought hard, though it wasn't easy with her banging headache. If it wasn't Kai, then who? But most of all... if that wasn't it, what did he want to tell her? She looked back at him worriedly.

Kai took a deep breath and looked at her sincerely. She got a funny feeling she wasn't going to like this at all. "Last night was just one big mistake. Just a mistake. A big, fat... mistake. ...I'm sorry Fern. That's all I wanted to say. Just forget it ever happened."

He watched as her face turned distraught. All he had to do was look into her eyes to know he had hit a sensitive nerve somewhere. Her cold, watery eyes shallowed in hurt. Kai looked down, unable to keep eye contact. It was never his intention to hurt her, but to tell her the truth. It looked like she wasn't going to take it lightly. "Kai!" She cried. "What is this? What's going on!? Why!?"

"It's not meant to be. I don't want a relationship. I have a reputation; didn't you see them back there? They knew. Never before have I been teased like that. Once they start they know all the soft spots and soon they'll feel like they can say anything at all to me. I can't have that, I'm team captain. I like being just me; alone, cold, distant. It's how I see myself, and I want others to see me this way too," His words caused a disbelief on her expression. Her mouth fell open absently. She could hardly find her voice to talk. Just what was all of this?

"But sometimes you are happy!" She could only bring herself to say, too astounded to think of anything else.

"What? Is that really a point? You'll...you'll always be someone different to me. I assure you that. But I can't sacrifice anything. A girl in my life would mean having to tell the world. Can you honestly imagine me being with a girl? I'm sorry, I just don't think I could do it. It's against my will. I don't have time and I'm not the right person."

"But.. feelings are all that matter! You like me, right?"

Kai shook his head. "I don't know what I like any more. I think you're very adept Fern, certainly someone different."

"Kai, please! Love is the strongest emotion anyone could feel. Don't you think love is stronger than desire? A desire to beyblade?" Fern cried almost hysterically and quickly, tears threatening to fall.

"Love? Fern, no... I... I... I do like you, but it's something I have to hide. Please, just stop and think about the consequences. I can't offer you love, nor happiness, nor attention. I'm Kai Hiwatari, Fern. I don't have much to offer apart from friendship. I walk a lonely path. I like it as it is now. Please understand. I can't give you want you seek. It's not because I don't want to, it's because I can't."

Fern couldn't believe what she was hearing. "WHAT! Of course you can! If you really wanted to you would! Do you really like me Kai? You can't suppress the power of love! You can't hide lust! You can't fight it! Stop trying to act like you can! Not even you, the great Kai Hiwatari can beat it!" She swung her fist angrily.

"I can. And I am. I'm telling you, because it's true." He said coldly.

"If you really liked me, you'd want to be with me," Fern cried, almost in a begging manner. She felt like she had been punched in the gut.

"It's because I like you that I can't be with you," Kai sighed, looking into her upset eyes. "I've told you the reason. It's not 'me' and there's the team to think about. They'll never get it. Please understand"

Fern shook her head. "I guess I'll have to. It's your choice, Kai. But just to let you know, I'm hurting right now. Ever since that night we shared a kiss, and you left me, my heart has needed healing. Not even I can heal my own heart, Kai. I need some else to do it for me. My own race. I've never felt like this before, and even though I'm confused, I know what it is. I'd kill to be with you. Last night..."

"It was a mistake, Fern. A mistake. What you're feeling right now isn't love. It's just lust, I'm afraid. It is mutual," He sighed. Her face turned white.

_Mistake. Mistake. _That simple word echoed through her head. Is that all she was to him? A mistake. A bubbling sick feeling erupted in her stomach. It was _disgusting_ to hear such words from anyone.

She managed to speak again, despite wanting to strangle him there and then. "Kai... I know my soul is abnormal, I know my spiritual energy is rare, but I know what lust feels like, and it's happened to me plenty of times. But this feeling is stronger. Question. Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"No," His cold, crimson eyes stared at her honestly.

She felt her bottom lip trembling. "So I thought. What would you have called our relationship if we had got together?"

"But there never was one in the first place, don't you see? If there was, a mistake, I've told you. Get over it."

A single tear fell down her face. He didn't even flinch. She felt so angry she wasn't bothered what came out of her mouth any more. "Do you love me, Kai?"

Kai stared at her. "...I-I don't know." Her face turned red. Suddenly, something inside him just snapped. His fists curled up in frustration, seeing her bewildered face. "STOP IT, JUST STOP IT!"

Fern's eyes grew wide. "WHAT!?"

"Stop it, Fern! You're ingratiating yourself!!" Kai tried to suppress his deep anger, squeezing onto him scarf tightly.

Fern felt her mind explode. She could only take so much from him. Never had she felt so furious in her whole life. "NO! IT'S YOU WHO KEEPS YOUR MIND AWAY FROM THE TRUTH!" Fern cried. "YOU JUST DENY TO SEE IT! YOU WON'T EXCEPT THE TRUTH! YOU KEEP CONTRIDCTING YOURSELF!"

"You know nothing! It's my mind, my thoughts, and you don't know what's going on. So shut up. You're just manipulative," He snapped back, glaring so hard at her it was like his sharp eyes had stabbed her.

Fern's mouth fell open in shock. "Oh you simpleton, Kai! I bet you just said you liked to me to make yourself feel better! SO YOU DIDN'T FEEL GUILTY THAT YOU TURNED DOWN MY FEELINGS FOR YOU! THAT'S IT, ISN'T IT? You heartless idiot!"

"URGH!" Kai growled loudly, squeezing his fists. He couldn't comprehend his anger. A nerve had been hit and he just couldn't handle it. Fern stared at him in stupefaction, truly amazed by his actions. He turned around and began to walk away.

"Kai! Don't you dare walk off!" Fern shouted angrily, tears steaming down her face. He had truly beaten her up to the core. The hurt she felt right now whirling around her mind and body was torturous. She felt like her heart had been ripped into two.

"Shove off, weirdo," Kai spoke lowly, anger streaming from his voice. Fern felt like she'd been kicked while down. She let out a startled cry.

"WHAT!?" She exclaimed in shell-shock. Was this the real Kai?

"You heard me! You're weird! Everything about you. What type of person has a soul for a bitbeast anyway?" Kai spun around and faced her angrily.

"KAI! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!" Fern cried in hurt, slapping her hand on her heart. "Oh, you're vulgar, Kai." Fern felt her knees wobble. Then without notice, they collapsed and she fell to the ground. Kai glared at her one last time through his red-blood eyes, then stormed off out of the training zone. Fern sat there, her sobs drowning her throat, excusing her to talk. "...K-..." Her green eyes were lost in a pool of water, the hurt diving out of her like her body was slowly falling apart.

She couldn't even look up. Her head fell to the ground, her gentle screams suffocated by her arms. "Ah... uh..." She slobbered over the floor, raining on the tiny stones from the rock she had bust up with Werex.

Wobbling, somehow, she managed to pick herself up, even while feeling broken. Her mind was foggy and she wasn't really sure what she was going to do next. Her feet just dragged her across the floor like a zombie, her face pale and tears still squeezing out of her eyes. Before she knew it she began to hiccup and walked unconsciously down the corridor, heading to her room.

A sudden sharp pain rang through her head. She stopped, her eyes terrified and wide. Something froze her. She couldn't ever lift a finger.

'You know what to do.'

Fern narrowed her eyes. She knew that voice, echoing through her mind like a bad addiction. She began to walk again, more open-eyed. Her trance-like movements led her into her room, hiccuping.

She opened the drawer next to her bed. She glared down at a small parcel then glanced around her, making sure no one was around. She could hear Kenny talking to himself in the next room. Silently, she grabbed the parcel and took what was in side- Black Pele sat in her delicate hand, rubbing the flint for a larger fire show.

Fern moaned quietly, an unbearable pain rustling in her head. Just by staring at it, the power of the blade could be felt through her fingertips. Her eye lids dropped a little. There was something... nice about the way it felt. Having that much power in her hands was somewhat a blessing.

"Ah..." A different force banged against her head, like something else was trying to push through. For a slight second she heard Werex's voice telling her not to. She withdrew a little, moving her face further away from the blade.

'I'm counting on you.'

Fern's eyes suddenly drew wider. And then she smiled. But it wasn't the usual, happy smile. Tears still steamed down her face, yet her sinister eyes could make anyone think she was up to something.

Slowly, she wandered back to the training zone, Werex battling for access. As far as Fern was concerned, there was no such bitbeast as Werex any more.

"Yah!!" Fern's green eyes lit up. She knew that voice.

She peeped around the door and saw Ray with Driger, training for his match tomorrow. Driger was really going for it, flying into rocks and making some impressive new moves Fern hadn't ever seen before.

Suddenly, she felt a push of power invade her mind. She had to stop herself from gasping in such shock quickly, her heart beating her body in a rhythm. Her eyes widened. "No. I couldn't possibly..." She began to cry again. Steady, sulking sobs. She shook her head. "No... no..."

'You can do it.'

She glanced back at Ray. "I can't... Huh!?" It was like a folk of lightening had struck her mind- A clear picture of a dark, orange-dressed woman entered her head against her will. Before she could stop it, her mind was soon within evil territory, a hard force shaking around the thought that she _was _Black Pele. A certain devil of darkness faded away the angel in white so easily it was inevitable. As the good vanished, the thought of being powerful excited her. It was all too easy. "Ha... ha..."

'Only you.'

Fern stepped into the training zone and began walking over to Ray, who hadn't yet noticed her.

The voice rung like an engaged telephone, drilling the words into her brain, and she had no choice but to listen. Everything else seemed struck out, all apart from the chilly drones from the woman. After a while, all she could do was listen. Involuntary her attention wanted to obey the words.

'Make me proud.'

Closer and closer she got, Ray continued to train innocently with Driger. Suddenly he looked up, a little startled. His face settled when he saw who it was. "Oh! Fern! For a minute there I thought you were some bad guy coming to get me." He laughed to himself. "It's quite scary out here, I must admit."

When she didn't say anything, Ray pulled Driger back immediately. Her face was as pale as heaven but as low as the ground. "Uh, Fern? Are you okay, you look sick?"

Fern stopped a couple of yards before him. Ray squinted his eyes. Her eyes looked droopy but... if he wasn't mistaken, it looked like she had been crying. Really badly it seemed. After seconds, she simply didn't answer him.

A battle was commencing in her mind. Her heart was set on standing there silent all night if she had to just to save him. But it didn't reach her. The message of keeping peace didn't reach her mind. The only thing that made it to her brain was nothing more than wanting to feel the real power of the blade.

Ray was becoming impatient and a little suspicious. "Fern-" Suddenly the flaming haired girl raised her launcher. Rays golden gaze looked stunned. "Hey! What are you doing!?" On closer inspection, it hit him that he hadn't seen the blade before. Orange and black wasn't her usual colour. Ray looked at her, shock in his eyes. "Fern what's gotten into you? Who's blade is this?"

It seemed to all happen it slow-motion. Fern began to pull the ripcord... and Ray couldn't believe his eyes. "Fern! This is madness!" He cried, blocking his face desperately.

_Rip..._

Fern felt her heart fall into her stomach. It was drowning. Drowning in her guilty insides. The blade plunged off the launcher so fast she felt physically sick and fell to her knees. The impact was so strong, a boom left the launcher and an invisible force swung back and even more so forward, sending Ray flying backwards.

He landed on his back, eyes closed. Fern's eyes didn't leave him. There was no movement. No cry of pain. Nothing. The blade still proceeded forward, lighting up the path it left with orange fire. She gasped when it stopped near Ray's head and tried to launch forward to protect him. When she tried, something held her back. Someone had frozen her mind.

A fiery light emerged from the blade and quickly waved towards Driger, still clasped in Ray's hand. It struck the blade once, heavy and hard with such strength the floor shook. A green light spiralled from Ray's blade. Fern watched in agony. It was exactly what she feared.

A cry roared from the green light, being sucked into the evil entity. The light quickly vanished and darkness spread over once again, only the small flame surrounded Black Pele in the lime light. It was like the most beautiful energy had been destroyed and taken away from the world.

Fern tried again to run over to Ray. She gasped when she saw Black Pele beginning to spin rapidly until it spun so fast it looked like it set on fire. More weird orange light ignited from the blade and began to surround Ray.

She couldn't even bring herself to scream. She couldn't move. Frozen to the core she could only watch something she felt full responsibility for. Terrified, she felt the true horror was yet to come. Driger was one thing, but Ray...

The orange light clouded and clouded over his body, taking over viciously. Suddenly, the orange flames rose along with something else that proved to Fern it wasn't just a horror- but a _nightmare. _A clear replica of Ray's features smoked in white floated like a feather, the orange light pulling what looked like a ghost out of Ray's body.

Brutally the life of the Neko-Jin was absorbed into the sky, turning into a mass of white smoke with no clear presence of Ray any more before her very eyes.

The fire hastily vanished back inside the blade and came to a sudden stop, the cold-blooded bitbeast giggling to Fern as she felt her leave her mind. All darkness scrambled away and it came into light quickly what had just happened.

Fern felt her arm twitch. She wasn't frozen any more, though she still couldn't bring herself to move. She stared over at Ray, his lifeless body laying so purely after seeing no mercy. She just couldn't comprehend, her traumatised face blasting in horror at the scene. She held her head, a hand placed on the floor. It felt like something was stuck in her throat. A sickly guilt that caused her breathing to become rugged and panicking.

She looked back up at Ray and suddenly shot from the ground, racing over to him. She fell down beside him and felt her mind daze by what she saw. His face was lifeless, yet he looked like he was resting uncomfortably. The most important factor had been drained straight from his body and lost within the air. The scene had scarred her. It didn't feel real. Nothing did any more. It was like a dream. How had it come to this?

What had she done? She'd launched a blade against a living person. And not any person, but a team mate! Someone who had taken her in and protected her and helped her become who she was- after all they had done for her she didn't feel worthy of her existence any more.

'I hate myself. WHAT ON EARTH WAS I THINKING!? OH RAY!' Fern cried, leaning over his body and squeezing him for dear life. 'I don't deserve to live. I'm scum. I'm just as bad as the Blade Warriors... and..' She shot her head up and cried furiously.

"I hate.. Black Pele..." She fell back to the ground weakly, screaming under her breath. "It's all my fault... I just want to die."

'It's not,' Fern's eyes snapped open as Werex's voice tried to sooth her wounds. 'You did nothing. You know that Black Pele is psychologically difficult. Even I couldn't fight off her force to warn you in time. She's not of this world. Don't feel responsible miss...'

Fern sniffed and punched the ground in rage, hysterical. The emotions she felt were so mixed. Wrath, frustration, upset, guilt. It was almost all too overwhelming she could barely think straight. "It.. is my fault. I was in such a mess to begin with over a silly boy. That's why I'm going to put it right. I swear to God. She's going to pay if it _kills_ me!" Fern cried, almost shouting.

She looked down at Black Pele, the evil shine shimmering into her eyes like fire. The hate she felt could be read like a book through her revenge-set orbs. Suddenly, she reached for the blade and grabbed it, stood up and scattered away into the darkness, leaving behind a boy without a soul.

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**This was SO hard to write and I'm not really happy with it but I hoped you liked it enough to review (please). :P**


	28. Fern's Last Chance

**Yay next chappie! Thankies to Kai-Hiwatari-Lover, rebelmewpheonix, unknown dark preistess, Blue Fire Phoenix, xvegas-on-acidx, cheer-dynasty-cheerleader, blackwolf066 and of course everyone who's reading! Mwah!**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 28- Fern's Last Chance**

Max yelled loudly, his lungs bursting towards pain. His shocked, blue eyes were cast onto a lying figure, no sign of movement in sight.

"Oh, no... Ray..." He was stunned, suddenly feeling sick. The distraught pair of eyes just stared before he came to his senses and realized he needed to urgently raise the alarm. "HELP! HELP!" He cried, running over to Ray so quickly he tripped over and landed next to him, his head close to the Neko-Jin's. He looked hesitantly at Ray's face. He gasped hysterically, having never seen anything like it before. Ray's face looked totally drained from colour. His eyebrows slid up, a tear finally falling. "Oh Ray... please be okay, _please_..."

"MAX! Are you okay?" Tyson's voice was heard from just around the corner. Max absently heard Tyson running around alongside Kenny and Kai, their feet suddenly coming to a halt.

Max looked back at them warily, his face struck with fear. He saw Tyson, Kenny and even Kai's faces suddenly drop.

"What's going on!? Ray! What happened?" Kenny cried, running towards Ray. Tyson and Kai followed, a feeling hitting them so hard they didn't have a clue what to say. Tyson immediately dived down beside Ray with Max, staring in shock at the terrible sight. He squeezed his eyes. Ray's face was in a state. He didn't look alive, a cold, white shadow lingering over, yet there was something weird about it, like something was almost missing.

Kai stood over Ray, his mouth open. "Is he..."

Tyson's head fell onto Ray's chest. The world felt like it was crashing down on them. All Tyson could wonder why God hated them so much. Were they cursed? Was it supposed to be like this...?

---

_Fern's POV_

_All I could remember when I woke up this morning was what had happened. All I could hear were the cries of my team, my head banging endlessly. I was in my own little world, one that had crashed and burned. It was like judgement day had come early. _

_I was hunched in a chair when Tyson suddenly burst in and alerted me of Ray's condition. I don't know why.. wait, maybe I do, but I couldn't look at him. I simply stared and my eyes stung painfully, burning. I couldn't speak at first, but I couldn't let Ray down. My generally concerned act WASN'T an act. I'd die for him to be safe again...Why is this happening? And now here I am..._

_End POV_

Ray was taken to the hospital wing immediately by doctors when they were alerted, with the Bladebreakers never leaving his side. He was placed in a bed as medics crowded around him like wasps, desperately trying to find out what was wrong with him. Tyson, Kai, Max, Kenny and Fern stayed nearby, hanging onto each other for support.

"What's wrong with him!? Tyson!? What's wrong?" Max cried into Tyson's shoulder. The dragon stared into space without giving him an answer. How could he? He didn't have a clue what was going on. Kenny sniffed and bowed his head, watching the disturbing scene as the doctors continued to try and figure out what was wrong. He glanced over at Max, seeing him pulling Tyson's jacket in upset. He knew how he felt, they all did.

"Is this for real..." Kai asked himself quietly, gazing hopefully at his injured friend. "Let's talk about this guys. Something is wrong but it's too weird. Did you see his face? It was so... white. Like the colour had been drained out."

"...I don't know," Kenny sniffed, wiping his nose. It was true. None of them had any clue. Not knowing tortured them even more. He glanced down at Ray's blade they had found in his hand. Something about it reflected Ray's face too; a certain dullness lingering in the core- and then suddenly it hit him. Kenny gasped. "Guys!" He cried, gaining their attention. "Look, Ray's bitchip is gone! Driger is gone!" He held out the blade and showed his mates.

Kai looked at it briefly then turned his head away. There was no shine any more, Driger was definitely gone. "Who would do this?"

"I KNOW WHO!" Everyone turned to Tyson. His face was glowing red in anger, his fist raised high. "The Blade Warriors, who else!?"

Fern looked at him though found that she couldn't keep her eyes there for more than a second. It was just to painful. She didn't feel worthy to even look at him again as a friend.

Kenny looked unconvinced. "I don't know, Tyson... I mean they may be total jerks but they're not capable of this."

"Then again we haven't ever seen their violent side have we?" Kai said firmly, seeming to be agreeing with Tyson.

"ARGH! I could really... I'm gonna go find those bastards!!" Tyson shouted, pushing Max away. He only managed to turn around when a familiar voice caused him to halt.

"I don't think that's a very good idea," Tyson and everyone turned around and saw Mr. Dickenson walking towards them, he usual bubbly self replaced with seriousness. "I think Ray needs you by his side right now."

Tyson as per usual, protested and stepped forward, clear understandable fury in his eyes. "But you don't understand! It has to be them who did it. They were always threatening to take our bitbeasts. This is just their way of taking them. And it's disgusting..."

Mr. Dickenson held up his hand to silence and calm him. "Tyson my boy, I'm terribly worried about Ray more than you could ever imagine. His safety is worth a million times this tournament, but would you honestly rather spend time with the Blade Warriors rather than be by your friend's side when he needs you most?"

Tyson sighed and stepped down. He was right. There was nothing he wanted more than to see Ray's face over seeing the rival team. And he was their friend, there was no question in the matter. He slowly nodded. "You're right."

"This is rotten!" Max cried again into Tyson's shoulder. "Ray didn't deserve any of this." Tyson patted his back soothingly, though it wasn't just him who needed a shoulder. Tyson wanted to breakdown there and then.

"I know... I know..." Mr. Dickenson glanced into the medical room. The doctors were still hovering around Ray's bedside. His face looked very saddened though strong, a face of hope keeping the Bladebreaker's hopes up for a bit longer. "I'll make sure the Blade Warriors are interviewed. I won't expose this to the press just yet until we know what exactly is going on and where the tournament still stands."

"It'd be great if Ray was only joking around.. to scare us..." Max sobbed, knowing he didn't really believe it, but what he hoped. Fern held her two hands in a cup together, her head peering down at the floor. She felt herself slowly breaking to a limit she couldn't handle. Lying to them like this...

"Just lock those bastards up and throw away the key!" Tyson blurted out, his eyes burning in wrath again.

Mr. Dickenson would have usually told him to watch his language, but this time, there was all the more reason to be angry. The old man nodded slowly and then walked off, his head down. Kai sighed to himself. He felt a long, lonely day up ahead.

Suddenly, the door opened and a doctor stepped out, a notepad in his hands. The Bladebreakers immediately crowded around him desperately. "Well? Do you know what's going on with Ray!?" Tyson cried.

The doctor didn't have a very knowledgeable face although he tried to look as positive as possible. "At this time we don't know what has happened. There is a possibility he is in shock, although it must have been something extremely frightening for the young man to end up in such a state." Everyone looked worried and Max hung onto Tyson harder, squeezing his shoulder. "However, amazingly, there is a heartbeat."

The Bladebreakers looked like they were about to explode with happiness. Fern thought she was going to collapse in relief, suddenly feeling dizzy. "No way!" Kenny laughed.

The doctor didn't look any happier. Tyson felt his smile fall. "...but what?"

"Well... we don't actually know what is wrong with him. I've never in my career as a doctor ever seen anything like this before. There is a heartbeat so after some time, he may wake up. On the other hand, he may not." He saw the terrified expressions on the team's faces. "Listen, it's fine to worry but you cannot do anything at this time. Leave everything up to us. If there is a heartbeat then that is a great help. We know he isn't dead. He could well be in a coma although I'll be honest- there isn't many cases where the patient looks dead on the outside although is alive and working on the inside."

"But-" Before Tyson could ask any more useless questions Kai spoke first.

"Alright, thanks doc," Kai said and the doctor nodded, and went back to attending to Ray. Kai heard Tyson growl in anger. "There's no point arguing with him."

Kenny agreed. "Yeah, I'm sure he's telling us the truth. We'll just have to wait until the Blade Warriors are interviewed until we start coming to conclusions."

"We're all tired and we need rest. I think it'll do us good," Kai said, looked particularly at Tyson. To his surprise, the upset dragon nodded slowly. After all, what else could they do?

Hours later, and still no word on the Blade Warriors. Tyson sat fiddling with his thumbs, a scowl on his face. 'I knew it. I just knew it. They're taking so long because they're being interrogated. They must have some hardcore evidence.'

Max was sat next to Kenny, keeping each other in high spirits, going through all the good times they had had with Ray and the team.

Kai was stood in the corner of their room, his arms folded and eyes closed. Fern couldn't take it for much longer listening to Max and Kenny talking about Ray. She felt like she was going crazy. She wanted to tell them _so_ badly, but the time obviously wasn't right. There was still something she had to do.

The door suddenly swung open and everyone jumped up quickly to see Mr. Dickenson stood in the door frame. Tyson ran to him hurriedly. "Any news!?"

Mr. Dickenson looked at the teen serenely. "Calm down. If you mean Ray, then no, but you may go visit him now. However there is something else..." The team looked at him in wonder, on the edge of their seats. "The Blade Warriors have been interviewed."

Tyson swung his fist. "I knew it! I knew it was them."

"Now now, don't jump to conclusions. There is no evidence of their part in Ray's injury." Everyone stared in disbelief, even Kai. "They generally had no idea what was going on and they seemed genuine. Besides, they have an alibi. It seems that yesterday night they were in their own training zone. They had a brief visit from a staff member in the buffet offering them to come along but they turned it down."

Tyson's face yelled out in shock that it was total rubbish. He could barely speak. His eyes burned in fury, something Fern felt intimidated by. "That's not right! What about after the alibi had left? Where did they go then, huh!?"

Mr. Dickenson shook his head. "I'm sorry, Tyson. As I said they were very genuine and were concerned for Ray's safety. It may have just been an accident after all.."

Tyson shook his head angrily. "No! NO! I refuse to believe that!"

"Tyson! Let me just make the point that you are not the only one worried about Ray. Right now your emotions need someone to blame. Try not to blame anyone," Mr. Dickenson said loudly and strictly, appearing a little angry. He watched as Tyson's face dropped. He sighed. "The Blade Warriors are innocent for now. Personally I do not suspect them. Maybe it was just a beyblading accident."

"With all do respect Mr. Dickenson, how do you explain the taking of Ray's bitbeast?" Kai asked suddenly, everyone looking at him.

Mr. Dickenson raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm. Well that is a good point Kai, but can you remember when Ray's Driger was taken away from him because he treated it unfairly? Perhaps the same thing had happened..."

This time Max stepped in. "...I don't think so Mr. D... Ray has learnt alot since then. He treats Driger with the same respect he treats us now. He appreciates him so much." Tyson nodded in agreement, raising his fist again. It was beginning to get on Mr. Dickenson's nerves.

"Tyson, please. Cool it, dude," Everyone spun around and followed the voice back to a healthy looking old man. Seeing him caused a plague of smiles on some of their faces.

"Grandpa!?" Tyson asked, lowering his fist awkwardly. "How do you know about Ray?"

"I told him... as well as.." Before Mr. Dickenson could finish, the very people he was talking about walked out from behind the door where Grandpa stood.

"Ray! What happened!" the pink-haired Neko-Jin cried out, running towards everyone with tears in her eyes. Lee, Kevin, Gary and Hilary followed her, looks of worry covering their faces. Tyson, Max and Kenny finally pulled a smile. It was nice seeing everyone together in support of someone they loved.

"Good to see you..." Kenny said.

"What's going on? Is Ray okay?" Asked Lee, his clear concern for the guy showing he wanted answers just as much as them. "I can't believe this..."

Mariah began to cry. She rubbed her eyes, trying to erase the falling tears. She couldn't help but feel a bit silly being the only one crying. When she looked up, she suddenly found that her feelings were the same as everyone else, their concern expressions staring at her. They were all heartbroken, it didn't take a genius such as Dizzi to work that out. "We'll all support Ray to the end, okay?"

Tyson stepped forward alone and placed a hand on her shoulder. He pulled her an encouraging smile. "Of course we will. But there never will be an end, you remember that."

Mariah nodded and smiled. "Okay."

Hilary walked beside Kai and glanced up at him. "Hey Kai, I heard his bitbeast was taken. Why was that?" She asked quietly. The phoenix looked down at her softly.

"We don't know that yet. Don't worry, he'll be fine," he let a smile slip from his lips. The more encouragement the captain gave, the better. Everyone depended on the captain so it was time to live up to his role.

Fern stared at Kai. It felt like she was about to burst in guilt. Never, ever had she felt so pathetic in her whole life. She couldn't believe she had fell for Black Pele. Listening to them all was just.. torturous. She bit her lip angrily. And she knew if it wasn't for Kai and her getting upset over him, she wouldn't have been as vulnerable. 'It's all my fault...' An urge of weakness piled onto her and something inside her just ripped apart, and she shot out of the room angrily, the tears welling up in her eyes again.

She slammed the door after her, leaving everyone staring in shock after her. "What...?" Tyson asked quietly.

Kenny shook his head. "She's really upset, just like us. People have different ways of dealing with it. I'll go after her."

"No," Kenny looked up at Kai who was staring down at him seriously. "Leave her. She wants to be alone." Kenny nodded and turned back to his friends. Kai sighed. 'If there's anything yesterday night I taught her.. it would be when you want to be alone, just tell everyone... Like I told her.' He rubbed the thoughts from his head and turned his mind back onto Ray.

Fern rushed down the corridor, her arms swaying in rage and her head down low, unable to bring herself to look up and face the world any more. Her heavy breathing caught the attention of passer-bys, some of which were fans who kept their distance when they saw how mad she was.

'Where are you going? Slow down...' Werex entered her mind, just like how Black Pele had before.

She couldn't take it any more. 'Werex go away!' She buried her face in her hands as tears fell into the cup of them. Everything reminded her of Black Pele- she felt like she was going insane!

Werex ignored her plea. 'No, you're my master and you need help. For heaven's sake calm down. It's not your fault. If you truly believed it was your fault you would have told them by now.'

Fern stopped in a quiet corridor and stood against the wall. 'That's the thing though Werex! I really do want to tell them, but I just can't bring myself to! Every time I try.. it's like Black Pele is there, waiting for me to slip up.. then she'll sharpen her claws again and make me attack someone else. I can't do anything. I'm useless.' She sobbed into her hands.

She felt Werex let out a heavy sigh. She knew that sigh. It was the sigh she would always hear when she was going to give her some wise advice... and help. 'Miss Fern, you are not useless. And do you want to know why? Every time I was hurt or in great danger... who would save me? Who would give me some of her bitbeast energy? Who would always be there?"

Fern uncovered her face slowly. 'B-But Werex... that's nothing. I can't save Ray.'

'If you are so useless, why am I still here? Why are all of the bitbeasts at Panacea healthy and recovering? It's because of you...' Werex emphasised every word. Fern narrowed her eyes. Something Werex was trying to say to her sort of made sense. Suddenly her head snapped up.

"Oh! Of course!" She cried out happily. "Trinity!"

'You finally understand...' And with that, Werex left her head.

'Trinity...' Fern wiped her eyes with her top then rushed off again, this time heading straight to the ward Ray was resting in. Mr. Dickenson had said visiting time was open now. She smiled to herself. 'Great.. hold on Ray... you'll be alright...'

When she reached the ward, she lingered outside for a moment. Making sure no doctors were around, she walked into the room. Immediately after closing the door behind her, her eyes cast onto the lying teen in the bed. Her green eyes grew wide. He was lifeless. Anyone could have mistaken him for dead if it wasn't for that heartbeat. She slapped her hand over her mouth. 'Oh, Ray... what a mess I've put you in...'

She walked slowly and hesitantly over to the bed. She looked over him, sickness swelling around inside her. She looked disgusted with herself. "I can't believe.. I've done this. I want to throw up," She held her head, suddenly feeling dizzy again. She sat herself down in the chair next to the bed. "I can hardly look at you..."

Noticing his free hand laying close to her, she slowly reached out and cupped it gently into her warm grip. She squeezed her eyes shut when she felt how cold his hand was. It felt like a pile of ice. "I-I'm so sorry." She kept her eyes closed. Concentrating hard, she seemed to be trying to contact someone in her head.

'...Trinity?'

A splash of energy entered her mind. All it was to her was a great big nothing. After all, she had no idea what Trinity looked like.

'Only you can do this... will you help me? This may be my last chance.'

_...Yes. _A low, cloudy voice told her.

'Make Ray's soul one again. Help him recover but make no obvious presence. Retrieve his soul from the air...' Her eyes remained closed.

_You have my word for it. But the process may take a long time._

Fern shook her head. 'That's fine.. thank you...'

She heard her protector giggle. _That's what I'm here for... to help you._

Fern felt Trinity leave her mind, leaving behind a nice message of hope. Fern thrust back her red hair away from her face, a smile on her face. "Don't worry, Ray..." She said, looking down at him. "It's all going to be okay." Suddenly, the door opened and two doctors stepped in, their attention on Fern.

"Are you visiting?" One asked. Fern nodded. "Okay, that's fine. We just need to see if his condition has changed at all."

"Okay I'll move," She stood up and walked back a little as the two doctors stood in her space and looked over him.

"Hey... look..." One of the doctors nudged his colleague, staring at Ray's face. Fern looked up hurriedly and rushed over.

"What? Is he okay?" She asked.

The doctors stared in disbelief, though to her confusion, they brightened. "I think.. he is. It may only be small, but a tiny tinge of pink is among his complexion. I think he's recovering." Fern stared closer. Then she gasped. They were right. It was only faint, but there definitely had been a change. "This is really something..." He turned to his colleague. "Inform the team the good news."

The doctor nodded and rushed out. Fern was still too amazed to move. So relieved and grateful at the same time, she sighed to herself. 'Trinity, thank you.'

Meanwhile, the doctor had told the Bladebreakers the good news. Cheers and tears of rejoice came along afterwards.

"Oh thank god!" Tyson yelled.

Mariah smiled. "I could just.. laugh. This is brilliant news!" And everyone else agreed.

Everyone made it to the ward hastily to visit him. Upon their arrival, they saw Fern already there. She was smiling manically, completely over the moon. She hadn't ever felt so happy in her life before. But, she still felt it on her conscience. "I think he's gonna be okay!"

Tyson, Kai, Max, Kenny, Lee, Gary, Kevin, Mariah and Hilary crowded around the bed excitedly. He did indeed look much brighter than before, even if it was only by a little. Mr. Dickenson stood back and smiled, an expression on his face suggesting 'I told you it was going to be okay.'

They were all too overwhelmed with happiness to say anything. That was until Mr. Dickenson broke the silence. "Now, with Ray on the road to recovery and the doctors promising he'll wake up, maybe we should start to think about the tournament? Are you guys still going to participate?" He asked, earning alot of worried looks.

"But... without Ray? We need four members or we'll be disqualified," Kenny exclaimed.

"I don't think I could do it anyway. Knowing Ray is in here while we're battling?" Max sighed, looking back at the Neko. He just wished he could hear Ray talk. Gaining some colour back into his cheeks was one thing, but being awake was another.

"What do you think Ray would want?" They all turned to the door and saw Grandpa standing in the door frame.

Tyson lowered his eyes. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"This isn't the time my homies, what do you think Ray would want?" He asked again, his arms folded.

"He'd want us to carry on without him," Kai spoke firmly, causing an uproar of gasps.

"...That's right..." Mr. Dickenson agreed.

"But..." Max began, still unsure.

Tyson began to laugh. Everyone looked around at him in disbelief. "Seriously guys. Kai is right. There's nothing Ray would want more. Let's win this _for_ him." The two team's faces changed into encouraging looks. "And I think Ray would be proud for Fern to take his place."

Fern choked. "What!?"

Max nodded and smiled. "Yeah, that's right. He'll be proud."

Fern felt her heart fall out from her throat. She suddenly felt scared. The thought of facing a Blade Warrior... it was completely mad. She'd end up attacking him during the battle and get disqualified anyway. She stared into the hopeful eyes of each team member. They were all counting on her. Without her, they couldn't participate... "I-I dunno..."

To her surprise, Kai began to speak. "Fern... what did we say that day at the tour? You're one of us now. An official Bladebreaker. So move it or lose it." She gazed into his crimson eyes. She felt her feelings come bouncing back for him, but quickly discarded them. He was being serious, and he was right. She was one of them, and she felt it.

Werex entered her mind. 'Don't beat yourself up over Ray. He's going to be alright now. Tell them the truth after the tournament is over.' And as quickly as she came, she left in a flash.

Slowly, Fern found herself nodding. As mad as it was, there was some sense about it. "Alright... I'll do it..."

Tyson let rip a loud cheer. She smiled embarrassingly, seeing the grins spread across their faces. She had to do it. It was the least she could do to make up for her mistakes.

"Okay then!" Mr. Dickenson smiled. "Let's take our positions. We've left the fans waiting long enough."

Everyone agreed and began to make preparations. After saying goodbye to Ray and vowing to do everything entirely for him now, the word was passed around for the final to commence. With fans getting ready to enter the stadium and BBA members running around everywhere to get things sorted, the next few minutes seemed to be total chaos.

Hiding behind the blue curtain again, the Bladebreakers sat trying to boost Fern's confidence up as much as possible. Even though she was showing a brave face they all knew, even Kai, she was terrified. It was her first real big tournament, and her opponent wasn't going to be easy. As well as that, they were all counting on her. She wasn't any where near as good as Ray, and if the Blade Warriors won this match, they would have the greater advantage.

"No pressure then," She smiled weakly at her team mates.

"Just do your best," Kenny smiled at her, looking a bit red, clutching Dizzi.

"Show them what girl power really is!" Dizzi added, and Fern managed a giggle.

"Alrightttt folks, after a mad run around I'll bet you're all pleased to know the two last rounds of the tournament are here!" DJ Jazzman's voice caused uproar from the fans. Fern felt her tummy dance with butterflies. "For the Bladebreakers... we have... Fern Ryuki! Please give a big warm welcome to this probably petrified newcomer!"

Fern gulped. "This is it.." The curtain drew and she stepped out, her legs turning to jelly. She was greeted by a yelling crowd and great, bright lights, like she had just walked into another world.

"She is here doing this for Ray, who had a bad accident last night while training. Come on, give Ray a HUGE cheer!" He yelled. In return the noise of the crowd was so upbeat it was probably enough to crack mirrors. Fern smiled to herself when she heard the Bladebreakers yelling out for Ray. "Andddd, over at the Blade Warriors, we have... Sam!" When the crowd shouted in excitement Fern felt her _whole_ body turn to jelly then. This was it...

Sam, a cold expression on his face, walked opposite her on the other side of the dish. His serious eyes caused a nerve to split inside her somewhere. "Well, I must say I am surprised to see you up here..." Suddenly he grinned. "Poor Ray."

He grinned wider when he saw that he had hit a nerve somewhere- and she growled, fury burning in her green eyes. A red flicker shot across her iris like a star. He narrowed his eyes and began to get ready, pointing his launcher at the dish.

DJ Jazzman held up his hand to Sam."Woa, hold it. I haven't told you about the dish yet." Sam didn't lower his blade and simply stared into the eyes of Fern competitively. The dish once again turned into a giant obstacle. There were piles of mini trees and a flowing river along some fake grass. It looked like a too nice of a scene to ruin with beyblades. "This here is a structure of _Petrifying Springs Park_ in Kenosha. And that's that, the name of the dish is indeed that. Avoid the river at all costs. So, NOW we're ready!"

Fern raised her launcher at the dish. The clear anger in her eyes crossed bridges with Sam's illuminating glare, sparks already flying in the stadium.

"3...2...1... LET IT RIP!"

Fern closed her eyes when her blade hit the dish, the _pang_ echoing through her. It was official, she was battling in the American Tournament... and it was all down to irony. It was her dream, yet she'd stole the place from someone special. 'That's why I _have_ to win this, for him.'

A snared chuckle woke her up and she snapped her eyes open, seeing Sam's orange blade coming at hers, following her black and ruby one around the dish, crushing the mini trees and zipping toward the water, trying to edge her into it. Fern scowled and rode into action. "Werex, now!"

Werex turned and backed away from the river, leaving Sam's blade fending for itself to avoid the deep depths of the blue. He snarled and quickly ordered his blade to turn, and easily, it did, avoiding falling into the water and beginning to chase her again, trying to declare the dish his. "It's not big enough for the both of us."

Fern heard the shouts from her team mates and cheers in the crowd aiming at her, and every time she heard them, her spirit level rose. "I know! That's why you're gunna have to leave. It's only polite, I am the lady."

Sam smirked, his blade still following hers. "More like traitor."

The sudden dull hole in her eyes told him he had hit her core- and it was only a matter of time before she would lose concentration.

"Attack Black Pegasus!" Sam ordered and his orange blade slid smoothly into Fern's sending it crashing across the river and landed on the other side, still spinning. Sam grinned. "Again!" His blade crossed over the small bridge and rammed into hers again, the gentle cries of Werex calling out for Fern's help.

'Miss! I can't do this alone! Forget his tittle tattle and help me!' Werex's voice was almost like a wake-up call, and she just about managed to guide her blade away. Sam's was travelling so fast it spun straight into the space where her blade once was and almost toppled over the edge, a crowd of gasps making him glare at her in humiliation.

"So..." He began quietly so no one could hear, her attention steadying onto his face. "We've got Draciel... now Driger, once you hand Black Pele over of course... and I'm pretty sure Alex will snap up Dragoon. All you have to do is seduce Kai and get Dranzer. Easy, huh?" Fern glanced around uneasily, her breath caught in her throat. No one had heard, and it seemed, that's how he wanted it.

"You _lied_!" Fern growled in a whisper.

Sam pulled a sarcastic, hurt face and pointed at himself. "Me? What about? Would I lie?"

Fern felt her patience growing. "When we met up that day you and the others told me to launch Black Pele at a team member so I could fill in for them. You told me they wouldn't be hurt. Not that I was going to do it, but it was Black Pele's fault! What do you call that in the hospital bed right now, huh?" Her voice was growing louder and more angry.

"Shhh! You don't want them to hear do you!" Sam smirked, seeing her face fall. "Didn't think so. Okay, so maybe we did exaggerate." Fern's mouth opened in shock and protest, but he carried on. "Still, it worked didn't it? Black Pele..."

"God I can't believe you! You _knew _Ray would be hurt, you _knew_ launching Black Pele took the soul! What the hell were you thinking?" She cried in a stage whisper, absently hearing the curious talk of the crowd wondering why they were stalling, their blades simply spinning in a circle around each other. "You tricked me!"

"You had the choice to launch it by free will. We knew you wouldn't... Black Pele does come in handy. For many more reasons to come."

"Oh my g- You're just toying with me!" She cried, her voice loudening again. "You're deliberately playing with me. You knew Black Pele was going to make me do it anyway-"

"I suggest you quieten down," Sam spoke low, his eyes cold. "So what if we are? It's your own fault. You're so stupid. We wouldn't just let Ray die- he's recovering right?"

"No thanks to you! It was me and a good friend who helped him!" She cracked back. Absently she could hear AJ Topper's voice, wondering why the hold up.

Sam smiled a little. "I know. Black Pele lives on other bitbeasts' souls- Ray's vanished into the air because he is human. We knew you'd figure out eventually that you could heal him. Trinity can do anything, am I right?"

"Oh, your pointless spying doesn't help you acknowledge half of what she can do. Wait.. that means..." Fern stopped, stunned, staring into his heartless eyes.

Sam laughed a little. "Yeah, from the very first time myself and the team became aware of your gift, which was, of course, your first training lesson with the Bladebreakers if I remember correctly... the plans changed from there on."

Fern shook her head. "What plans?! But that doesn't make sense! How could you know about Trinity...The only time I told anyone about that was... a few nights ago," She was alerted to see Sam's grin widen, his eyes crunching devilishly.

"Oh, come on. Surely you can remember... you spoke to the bit beasts that day after your first training session and told them about Trinity..."

Fern held her head. How was that possible? If they could know what she was telling the bit-beasts in her head...

"Actually..." Fern looked looked up, listening again to Sam's drawling voice. "It was Black Pele who told us."

Fern's eyes widened. She felt like she'd been punched in the gut. A dark realization, or more of a thought, crossed her mind quickly, making no objections to come out. "Does that mean Black Pele has you under her spell too?" Sam scowled at her, having obviously hit a deep nerve somewhere. He shook his head, his eyes still glued onto her like a dangerous animal. She shook her head quickly, trying to reason with herself. "No..." She whispered to herself. "Apparently the Master is in charge..." She quickly changed the subject as another question popped into her mind. "You said I'd figure out how to heal Ray. What if I never did figure it out? What if I was dead then, huh? And why on Earth did you want me to take a team mate's place anyway?"

"We want bitbeasts. With you battling, it's much easier for you to take them," An eerie chuckle left his lips, and Fern raised her eyebrows. Something about his eyes told her he was bluffing... Just what was going on? Why had they done this?

"You're bluffing. Tell me the reason, _now. _I won't take any bitbeast for you, you can count on that, you're wasting your time!"

"Haha. I doubt that dear. You know fine well you've no control over yourself once that lovely goddess takes over your mind," Sam smirked, watching her face drain from the colour she had. "If I told you what we were doing it'll spoil the surprise. Don't... you like surprises, dear Fern?" He sniggered.

"That's it! Enough of this, I'll end this now!" Fern's green eyes sparkled in determination. "WEREX ATTACK NOW!" Fern's blade immediately counter attacked and dashed back around the dish and met Sam's blade, slamming into it before he could make a move.

His eyes widened. "Where did this sudden speed come from!?"

The Bladebreakers could ask the same question, and if it wasn't for their tense trances, they'd be shouting to ask her. The crowd started up again just as Fern's blade sped into Sam's, cheering that the match was finally under way again. Sam's pale orange eyes suddenly burst into a wild, crimson fire, his blade suddenly erupting into a ball of great, creamy light, the crowd shading themselves from it.

Fern's eyes squeezed, finding it hard to keep contact with her blade. Lost in the white smoke, her eyes danced around desperately to gain control of it again. Then quickly, emerging from the fog-like light, the spinning black and ruby blade escaped, almost running into a tree before managing to glide around it.

Fern felt the relief wash through her like a waterfall, and sweeping her hair back from her face, she stood up straight, looking readier than ever. She watched momentarily, Sam's face streamed in white light and amazing power blasted from the blade, seeming to make it a faster mover.

"BLACK PEGASUS, WING ATTACK!" Sam ordered. Crazy, buzzing light marbled from the blade, covering almost the whole of the stadium in blazing colour. The light began to shape, the particles squeezing and pulling together, forming something from the almost white-hot light. As the blaze began to swirl and crash into itself, a slow, grey colour began to form.

The crowd watched in amazement, as did Fern, the slow grey light gently forming into a dark figure, and in a flash, a giant black horse galloped into life, letting out a startling cry. Fern felt her legs weaken a little. It was strong, and her only chance was Werex... and Werex's new...

A smile rippled across her lips. "WEREX... STARLESS ATTACK!"

Tyson jumped from his seat. "Star-what attack?!"

Kenny rubbed his eyes. "But.. since when did Fern learn a new move!?"

Kai sat unmoved, his usual face expressed. 'Hmm. So. That's what you were training for last night.'

Sam's eyes whipped her face angrily, the giant pegasus flapping it's beautiful black wings ferociously. In a comeback, Fern's blade rattled and suddenly a black light shot from the blade and travelled forward, higher and higher, until it hit the stadium roof. Gasps left the audience, some blocking their faces in case it hit them. Amazingly, the control of the light zapped straight past the crowd and missed them, landing steadily back into the dish.

Kai's eyes lowered. He could see the power was too much for her, yet... she wasn't squirming in struggle. He continued to watch on, completely overwhelmed. Maybe those training lessons were paying off.

He saw Fern's eyes close. In a breath, something amazing began to happen that not only baffled the crowd, DJ Jazzman and the rest of them, but Kai too. Werex was fully formed, black and just as dark as she ever had been; but she began to grow. Sam's face faulted, his eyes not comprehending what he was seeing. The werewolf seemed to be growing in power. The giant claws of the wolf grew into monstrous razors, the eerie green eyes twinkled in a mysterious fury. The long, black hair of her fur coat began to widen, as though air was being released into her body.

Sam shook his head. "Whatever! GO BLACK PEGASUS, NOW!" The giant pegasus' wing swung back and set alight, sending it straight into Werex's path. To his complete bewilderment, with a simple push, the presence around the wolf exploded and a black force pushed back the pegasus hard, the vibration echoing off the stadium walls.

"Woa! Did you see that! What power," Brad Best exclaimed.

The Bladebreakers were all stood up, their eyes reflecting the shock on their faces. What the hell was going on? Where had this power come from? The blow Werex took seemed to drain the energy from Fern's face- her usual pale face burned in hot-white, her legs jelly and sloping slowly to the ground. The total shock of what they saw was too much; she looked like Ray.

She held her head up, still concious, a smile on her lips. Sam's face was a picture and so were the rest of the Blade Warriors, but she kept on smiling. Growling, Sam ordered angrily for his horse to attack again. The giant wing rose and swung forward toward Werex. Fern bit her lip, trying to force the energy to counter attack. Somewhere, a burst of hope splashed against her head, and she held out her fist, signalling for Werex to attack. The werewolf caught the wing before it could hit her, the claws digging sharply into the thick, powerful pegasus.

Like an arm wrestle, Black Pegasus' wing held against Werex's unrealistic claws, the clash between them greater than anything she had ever felt before. She couldn't lose now, even though inside, she was melting. Her energy was low. A final push was all she needed...

"NOW BLACK PEGASUS!" The horse leant against the claws and attacked, Werex holding on for dear life.

"WEREX NOW!" Fern cried in a last bid, her last chance. Everything seemed to slow, so many things going on in her head she couldn't take it all in. The black and white light collided and before she could comprehend anything, it was over.

Staring, the result caused an disruption of shock. The Bladebreakers and Blade Warriors were gagging.

It was a draw.


	29. The Winner, Determination and Plan B

**Thank you reviewers (Blue Fire Phoenix, xvegas-on-acidx, rebelmewphoenix, unknown dark preistess, wolf-shadow666 and see-no-evil-san) and readers! In a note of recommendation, thought I'd say xvegas-on-acidx's story **_**Behind Silver Screens**_** is fab and worth reading. Check it out if you fancy another KaiOC XP. I don't own Beyblade song 'Never Gonna Take Me Down.'**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 29- The Winner, Determination and Plan B**

The Bladebreakers stared for a moment longer, the two shaken up figures pulling out of their daze and picked up their blades, both glancing down at theirs curiously. They could see Fern's beaten up face, watching Werex in wonder; while Sam's face was slightly flushed, obviously annoyed his 'flawless' blade had just drew with an ammeter. Or so he thought.

"Wow, what a result! In this case it makes the final even more exciting than ever- the final match will decide who is the overall winner thanks to the draw, which, in my opinion, is the fairest of them all!" DJ Jazzman laughed slightly.

"Werex... you're wonderful.." Fern felt a smile of happiness dance over her dry lips. She never expected to win, even though it was her intention. A draw was good enough for her, and she knew the reason. She had thought about Ray every second throughout the battle, and that made her final last push of energy erupt like a volcano at the end. And even now, she was still thinking of him. She looked up at Sam and smirked. "So, not so powerful now are you?"

Sam kept his eyes on his blade for a moment. Slowly, he began to look up at her, though what shocked her was the eerie smirk on his ripped, small lips. "To win wasn't everything. We don't want Werex." Fern's green eyes narrowed in confusion. "Although I am surprised my Black Pegasus didn't beat you- you truly have showed us something worth noting today."

Fern scowled. "What do you mean?"

Sam tapped the edge of his nose with his long, bony finger as though to say 'don't be nosey.' He turned around and walked quickly back to his team, and she saw the grins on their faces. What were they up to?

"Hey Fern!" The excited call from Tyson brought her back out of her thoughts and she spun around and smiled madly, running up to them. Max held his hand high and she slapped it in a high five, along with Tyson and Kenny.

"You were great! Don't worry about the draw because I'll make sure we win this last one.. and crown us the winners!" Tyson laughed triumphantly.

"You rock!" Agreed Max, and Kenny nodded shyly, busying himself back on Dizzi, trying to fix up Tyson's beyblade. Fern's green eyes wandered onto Kai. She had felt him looking at her through his powerful, crimson eyes, and when she finally looked at him, the beauty of those eyes struck her and almost caught her off guard. She shook her head to herself and raised her hand, grinning wildly.

"I did it for Ray! And thank you Kai for the encouragement earlier... high five?" She asked, her hand held in mid air. He simply stared at her for a moment and she felt her hand aching. 'God dammit, hurry up... it's hurting like mad.' To her surprise, he reached out and slapped her hand lightly, catching a small half-smile on his face. That was good enough for her.

"See, at times, Kai has a soft side to him," Max grinned and Kai scowled at him, looking away. "So Fern, when did you learnt that new cool attack? And what was it? It was so weird! You suddenly went SO pale. I thought you were gunna collapse."

"I learnt it with Werex one night. I could have never done it without you guys and all the training you've put me through- I don't know how to thank you..." She flushed a little.

Tyson smiled. "There's one thing you could do... be with us forever?"

Fern felt her smile wanting to fall, but somehow, she managed to keep it steady. She really did want to stay with them forever, but the guilt kept bouncing back to her, getting to her.

Before she could answer, the voice of DJ Jazzman spoke. "Alright folks, I think this is the moment ALL of you have been waiting for... this final match will proclaim the winner of the American Tournament and the winning team will proceed to the World Championships!" He grinned. "How about that? So let's make this a final to remember- please welcome from the Bladebreakers..."

The crowd roared crazily, and Tyson began to step up to the dish before his name was even called, enthusiasm bursting from his face. "TYSON!" Again a demented cry of fangirls and fanboys corrupted the stadium. "Anddd, over at the Blade Warriors we have finalist ALEX!" Another ride of yelling lasted for a few seconds before the two met at either side of the dish.

Tyson stared into Alex's cold, blue eyes, the obvious no mercy routine glittering from their beautiful but heartless shine. For a moment Tyson felt he had to stare him out to show him there was no time to relax, that he was a worthy competitor no matter what his ignorant mind thought. Alex's tall, almost perfect figure seemed to be teasing him, the obvious difference in size amusing for the viewers.

Keeping his eyes firmly on Alex, Tyson slid his beyblade onto his ripcord and shoved it into his launcher, as Alex did the same. DJ Jazzman began to speak, his voice not once breaking their eye contact. "This sure is intense! Just look at those eyes!" He yelled, and on that note the plain dish suddenly flipped around and revealed the final obstacle. It was a large circular building that looked almost like the stadium they stood in, mini seats piled around the sides and little people sat in them.

There was a race track around the outside and a huge grassy field in the middle, looking like an Olympic stadium. "This is called 'Berlin', a reconstruction model of the 1939 Olympics where USA star Jesse Owens won multiple gold medals. As a tribute to him and the legend of sports, let's here a loud round of applause!" Following was a stream of over-the-top rowdy claps and screams. "Alright, now we can begin... Bladers ready..."

Tyson and Alex both pointed their launchers at the dish, Tyson mentally noting Alex was being unusually quiet unlike the rest of them who had taunted his team mates first.

"To name the champion... 3... 2... 1...!"

'This is for you Ray...' And with that, a loud 'LET IT RIP' erupted from his throat, and he bluntly heard Alex mumble something along those lines as well. This was it. The final. And he knew that no matter what, he had to win. Max had lost his bitbeast and so had Ray- they had to be retrieved.

_I've been fighting every night and day  
Gotta do my best to put you away  
Better psych yourself, get ready to play  
If you ever wanna make it  
You think you're gonna run me up against the wall  
Then let it rip, get ready to fall-_

White and yellow blades zipped around each other, the powers commuting from their cores already, clashing thought out the air, orange sparks flying as they collided then parted, collided then parted. The fans were cheering though some were silent, already deadly tranced into the match.

"Dilong, attack!" Alex ordered smoothly, brushing back his pointy blue hair. Tyson scowled knowingly, watching helplessly as Alex's yellow blade zipped past Tyson's in a flash, crashing into his again before he could move.

'Damn he's fast...' Tyson began to think hard, his head almost hurting. He needed to get the upper hand fast otherwise he had no chance. 'Come onnn, think, THINK!'

_You're never gonna take me down  
Better watch your back, I'm the best in town  
Forever I'll be spinning 'round  
You'll never stop me  
I've got one foot off the ground  
With my Beyblade, my Beyblade beatin'  
You'll never take me down  
You're never gonna take me down_

Tyson's head snapped up and he stared at Alex, a sudden powerful fury burning up over his face. He could actually feel his blood bubbling, a crazy feeling that made Tyson tighten his fists. "So, come on then.. was it you who put Ray in that hospital bed?" Alex appeared slightly taken aback, though once over it he began to talk slowly and confidently.

"Believe what you like, you'll find out the truth soon enough."

Tyson's eyes flickered curiously. "Find out what? I hope this isn't some sort of game you're playing... do you know how serious this is? You could be charged with attempted murder! Do you have Driger or not?" He saw Alex raise his eyebrows, suggesting he was shocked but he didn't fool Tyson- they were probably good liars, after all, their history was reason enough to believe they were capable. Dirty dealings, stealing beyblades.. all that crap Tyson had grown to despise.

"Not yet we don't."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Tyson almost yelled, his face flushed with anger. "So you know who did it?"

Alex shook his head. "Shall we just get on with this?" His smooth, lanky hand wept again through his hair. As well as vain, he was a complete jerk too.

"I still think it was you," Tyson glared at him, keeping Dragoon spinning endlessly. "Kai had a deal with Rio- if we win this tournament, we can have Draciel back. Same goes for Driger too, right?"

Finally, Alex cracked a smile. It was dark and somewhat different to the others, a sort of independence radiating off him. "You just don't listen do you. Sure, whatever Rio said to Kai goes- but how can we give you back Driger if we don't have it?" Tyson sighed, shaking his head. Suddenly he heard Alex's voice blaze loudly, bringing him back into reality. "Dilong, now!"

_  
I like to win, and it ain't no crime  
To always hold your head up high  
When you lose to me, don't whine and cry  
Cos you know you played the best  
Come on if you really wanna break the chain  
Cos I can play you, again and again-_

Tyson scowled and called out for Dragoon. "Dragoon! Attack!" The blades danced around each other almost playfully, before colliding deep and heavy, sending a thrash of power between them that rocked the stadium heavily. "Darn it!" Tyson could only watch in dreaded hope as the yellow blade caught Tyson's against the rim of the dish, the dangerous, spiky attack ring crushing it to a possible end. The dragon squeezed his eyes shut, a tear falling absently. His concentration was breaking and the whole concept of what was going on was getting to him- there was _obviously _something fishy going on, even he knew. But every time he tried to figure it out, memories of Ray flashed through him.

It was too painful. He needed to do this for him, for Ray only. The hope he held wasn't enough, watching Alex's blade devour into Dragoon. He just couldn't seem to work out Alex's methods, and it didn't help that his opponent was as dry as Kai- but the phoenix wasn't as scary of course. Still, he felt his balance slowly slipping away... draining like how Ray's face looked. He guessed the simple shock of a team mate falling for no reason had haunted him- that look on Ray's face- he didn't look like he was with them any more.

'Why now, at this time.. does it have to affect me so much... ugh...' Tyson cursed his head's timing, trying to absently pull Dragoon away before it was shredded.

'Master...' Tyson's head perked up. He felt his worthy old dragon make a sharp appearance in his head. 'I am behind you and I'll win this _for_ you.' Tyson blinked, not totally understanding. The blue dragon grunted in his head. 'I refuse to believe you have forgotten what you vowed before this battle. To do this... for your team. For one of your team mates. You told me yourself. It's the sort of determination that you hold that wins you the victory- you're not alone, most of it's down to you- your hope makes me stronger, and unless you want to disappoint everyone, I suggest you start taking the little hope you have far more seriously. We can beat him- we've encountered harder than this.'

Tyson nodded immediately, wiping away his tear that was left dripping on the edge of his chin. 'You're right Dragoon! I- I can't do this alone and I'm letting what happened to Ray get to me- I'm just afraid it might happen to me too...'

_  
You're never gonna take me down  
You'd better watch your back, I'm the best in town  
Forever I'll be spinning 'round  
Oh, You'll never stop me  
I've got one foot off the ground  
With my Beyblade, my Beyblade beatin'  
You'll never take me down  
You're never gonna take me down_

"Dragoon! ATTACK!!" Surpassing his undoubted hope onto his bitbeast, suddenly a dashing light cruised from Tyson's beyblade, sending Alex's knocking backwards and he let out a groan of annoyance, watching as the light formed into a beautiful blue dragon, letting rip a happy roar.

Alex scoffed. "Two can play at that game," And with that, he raised his hand in the air. "Dilong!" Tyson and everyone else blocked their eyes as a huge windy light soaked the stadium dry, emitting from Alex's yellow blade and slowly dancing into the air, twirling and forming into a shape. A monstrous cry of confidence hollowed and a beautiful Chinese dragon came into sight, it's long and golden body twisting as it went face to face with Dragoon.

Tyson felt his heart thumping, but his hope didn't once slip- and he smirked, Dragoon screaming in happiness. "You know what to do Dra-goon!" He called out in emphasis and his faithful Dragon dived forward, stroking it's claws into Dilong. Abruptly Alex told Dilong to pull back for the moment, before smiling.

"Dilong... show this idiot what we're made of. HEAVEN AND EARTH ATTACK!" Alex swung back his arm and Dilong suddenly raised high into the air, sharp fangs glimmering.

Fern watched uncomfortably, her legs jiggling all over the place. Her hands were held together and cupped against her chest. 'Come on Tyson, you can do this, you can...' She thought in her head, knowing whatever she thought was useless- he had to hear it.

The floor began to shake ferociously and Dragoon began to knock about, unable to keep balance even while in the air. Tyson fell to his feet as the ground cracked beneath him, and soon, the whole stadium was shaking and people began to scream. "Dammit..." Tyson managed to get to his feet. "There's something not right about this.. who the hell are these guys exactly!? They're so mysterious... what do we really know about them? They're so careful they don't give anything away..."

_  
Take me down_

_Rargh. _Tyson glanced up, the roar of his bitbeast sounding different somehow- and his face dropped. Dragoon was crying out in pain, the heavy shaking crushing his bitbeast against the air, too powerful for him to defend himself. "What is this?" Tyson looked at Alex, shock in his eyes. "What sort of cruel attack is this!?"

Alex's mouth slid sideways. "Hm. If you think I'm good, you should see Flint."

Tyson growled. "Urgh! I did see him! He took Max's bitbeast!"

"Haha. That's not even a _quarter_ of what Flint can do." Tyson's eyes widened. Who the hell were they? Suddenly something inside him snapped. The look on Dragoon's face was heartbreaking- the pain could be felt right through him, the connection; how dare he do this. Ray. Everything. It all piled on top of him and literally, he could feel the thick, hot blood in his veins grow hotter and hotter, until finally he couldn't keep it all inside any more.

OH YEAH! 

"We have one thing you don't Alex!" He shouted in such anger, a vein popped out of his skin. Alex stared at him smugly. "We work together as a team. We respect each other and we HAVE the determination to win this- you just hold the power."

"Power is stronger than determination! Tell that to one of your.. _friends_," Alex spoke coldly, mildly smiling. Fern felt her blood boil. She knew he was talking about her- yet he was wrong. Something Tyson was saying made sense to her- she'd seen the Bladebreakers battle before against stronger opponents- but it was their determination that pulled them through. And she, had been making the biggest mistake of her life. She finally figured it out- she was capable of beating the power of Black Pele, because she had the determination; she'd just found it through her team mates.

You're never gonna take me down,  
Oh, you'll never take me down  
Forever I'll be spinning 'round  
You'll never stop me  
I've got one foot off the ground  
With my Beyblade, my Beyblade beatin'  
You'll never take me down  
_You're never gonna take me down_

Alex watched in confusion, seeing Dragoon rise up through the air, beating his most powerful attack- his blue eyes weren't comprehending and he snapped his teeth together, hard. "What!? How can you do that!?"

Tyson smirked. "Because he's my inspiration and we share the same hope! DRAGOON GALAXY STORM!" All of a sudden a giant hurricane appeared from no where, rising out of the very beyblade that spun rapidly, faster and faster and the storm grew in size, bigger than anything anyone had ever seen before. The simple power of its spins corrupted sparks to fly around the arena, causing people to have to block their eyes. It was so incredibly strong, spinning like an out of control beyblade.

Tyson fell back slightly, struggling to keep his mind together by his own attack. The pieces of plastic that had been ripped from the ground by Alex's attack scurried up into the tornado and slowly, one began to descend down into the beyblade dish- and through the windy smoke, a clang was heard and it was clear to everyone's ears a beyblade had been struck-

And a yellow beyblade appeared from the mist, rocking gently to a stop on the floor outside the dish.

NO WAY!  
You're never gonna take me down! 

With jaws open, there was a quick silence, before the result hit everyone- and the biggest cheer arose from the stands, screams and shouts, emotions raising high. Absently, Tyson heard the shrieking of his team mates, and quickly coming out of his shock, he ignored the pain and held his arm high triumphantly, letting out a tortured laugh. 

"Folks, we have a winner!" DJ Jazzman's voice brought Tyson into a bigger hyper, taking back his blade and celebrating wildly, running to meet his team mates half way and leapt into a huge group hug, minus Kai, who stayed well away but there was even a smirk on his face. "THE BLADEBREAKERS- THANKS TO TYSON GRANGER THEY WIN THE AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS! WHAT A SHOW!" Confetti began to fall into the stadium, surrounding Tyson and his team.

The celebrations didn't stop, and at the other end of the dish was Alex, his eyes wide and disbelieving- stood with his shoulders hung low, he couldn't break out of his shocked pose. At the back of his mind, he heard the Blade Warriors calling for him to return to them.

Confusing and bewildered, he picked up his yellow blade, looking at the shockingly angry faces of his team- as well as himself, they couldn't believe it. He had trained for months and months for this moment and it had just been stolen away from him. Suddenly the shock decreasing, anger burned within him and he squeezed his blade hurtfully, beginning to stomp back over to his team.

Tyson and the Bladebreakers were madly cheering, waving at the excited and upbeat crowd manically. "Tyson, I _knew_ you would do it! I knew it!" Kenny cried happily, leaping again onto Tyson's back and he almost toppled over, deep laughter echoing from his mouth.

Tyson stopped and smiled at his team. "I only won because Dragoon pulled me out of my shell. I didn't know what to do, I just froze, but then he made me realize I was doing this for Ray and for us! Determination over power, right?" Fern stepped forward and smiled.

"You are absolutely right! You've taught be a valuable lesson..." Before Fern could say anything else, Max's raised voice earned him glances.

"Guys! Look!" He was pointing towards the Blade Warriors' stand. "They're gone! Where did they go!?" He cried frantically, having trouble shouting over the rowdy fans and DJ Jazzman's voice.

Kai stepped forward. "Dammit- they promised Draciel if we won."

Max looked up at Kai, his huge puppy dog eyes filling with water. "Please, we have to go after them!" For a moment Kai looked down at him. Then he nodded and smiled.

"Right, then let's go."

Everyone nodded and rushed off, not really noticing the bemused crowd- if the Blade Warriors got away with Draciel then it wouldn't be a win for them at all, it wouldn't be _complete_. They couldn't celebrate without him. Tyson, Max and Kenny zipped past DJ Jazzman, almost knocking him over. "Hey, where you going!?"

Kenny stopped in his tracks as the others ran on. "Can't stop now gotta go we'll be back," He spoke quickly, and with that, sprinted to catch up with his friends. DJ Jazzman stared after them, scratching his head. He didn't even have time to tell them there was a huge dinner with Mr. Dickenson waiting for them...

They came to the giant corridor, too many ways to search if they stuck together. Kai nodded. "Right, now we split up. I'll check this end," he said, pointing.

Fern spoke up. "I'll go towards the other end, you three should stick together."

Tyson looked reluctant. "On your own?"

"Yes yes, I'll be fine, I have to prove myself I can be a useful part of this team," And with that, she ran in the opposite direction quite speedily just in case they protested any more. For a moment they stared after her, blinking.

Max shook his head. "Alright, let's go!"

Fern had ran a few more corners and when she was satisfied they couldn't catch up, she slowed to a jog. Her face was serious and she watched her back carefully, her mind fixed on one thing only. 'I should have done this ages ago. I'll find them, tell them where to shove Black Pele, tell the team the truth, then.. wherever that leads me...' Before, giving up Black Pele seemed impossible, but Tyson's battle really had taught her something worth learning. With her strong determination, she could do _anything_, no matter how powerful.

"Hey," The cold, deep voice from behind her caused her to quickly spin around. In front of her stood the four very people she was looking for- each set with dark eyes, obviously still fuming over the last match. They looked even more surprised when Fern smirked slightly.

"I was just looking for you," she said in a confident tone.

Flint stepped forward and then she found herself surrounded by them, back to front from side to side. It was nerve wrecking, but she knew she could do it. She _had_ to... "Seems like you owe us Dranzer and Dragoon. Get them for us, now. After that you'll come and meet us in our room and hand over Black Pele, then come with us."

Fern was confused inside, but she hid it well. "Uh- why should I go with you?" She saw their baffled expressions wash their faces dry of ignorance, and she smirked.

"You will come with us, whether you like it or not," Alex spoke this time, his voice cold and intimidating. Fern felt herself flinch, but kept her smile firmly noticeable.

A sudden scowl ripped across her eyes and they watched curiously as she dived into her pocket and brought out Black Pele, their noses twitching strangely at the sight of it. Their expressions told her they certainly hadn't expected this- and she held out Black Pele to Flint, her green eyes flickering strongly.

"Here- I don't want it. Just tell me how to get Driger out of the blade and I'll be going. I want Draciel back, too," She smiled. For a moment her head suddenly thumped, drums playing viciously inside her cranium. She let out a small groan and saw smiles play across their faces, that's until she looked up fully- and to their complete shock, she wasn't possessed. Her eyes were sane, her whole mind was. "NO!" She let out a loud refusal, and their eyes grew the more wider. "I won't! I won't do anything for you!" She took a huge breath as though those few words were the hardest she had ever had to say, but the fact was, she had said it, and she meant it.

Flint narrowed his eyes. "Fine." He suddenly turned away from her and walked forward a few steps, the others still crowded around her. He placed his hand on his ear as though he was about to talk through an ear piece. His voice decreased to a whisper. "Master..." He gulped slightly. "Something's wrong. She- She won't do it.. she refuses. She should be under the total control of Black Pele by now, I-I don't understand it-"

A croaky, low voice yelped back to him, seeming angry. "Then, move to plan B. I'm disappointed in you all for losing. Let's see if you can do _this _right..." Flint nodded but before he could reply, his master had cut him off. He sighed, turning back around to face Fern whose face was glaring.

"Plan B," He spoke to his team. Fern's eyes narrowed in confusion, and suddenly, her heart thumped in panic when a hand clasped over her mouth, her whole body being taken away.

---

Kai searched down the long winding corridor, checking a couple of doors before sighing, standing against the wall. He'd looked everywhere he said he'd check out, and yet there was no sign of them. He only hoped Tyson, Max and Kenny or Fern had found them, or any clues where they could have gone to...

He could still faintly hear the overexcited fans. It seemed they were going dry without the dose of their Bladebreakers. He wanted to smirk at his own thought but couldn't bring himself to, instead changing his thoughts onto Max. He had seen his face when he lost Draciel- _felt _his pain. How could they do this? They were never going to get away with running off with a bitbeast, never.

His mind skipped frequently onto Fern, on and off. It was beginning to get on his nerves, knowing she wasn't the concern right now. Yet he felt a little guilty, he had yelled at her pretty hard last night- but for some reason he couldn't stop himself. He was kidding himself that he could have a relationship with her, it was truly out of this world. He never wanted to lead her on.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he glanced up and realized suddenly he wasn't far from the room Ray was resting in. He decided to give him a visit, hoping he was awake.

Kai made it to the medic room, looking through the glass before opening the door. Still lying in the same position, Ray looked somewhat peaceful on the bed. He was definitely recovering, his cheeks were almost bursting with redness now, and he didn't look so lifeless any more. At least one good thing was happening.

He unfolded his arms and walked to the chair beside the bed, sitting himself down. His head was rumbling with thoughts, almost millions of them. 'How.. did you get like this Ray?' Kai asked himself, staring at his friend. As much as he wanted to know, they would all have to wait until he woke to find out.

As stupid as he knew he was going to sound, he began to talk out loud. "Ray.. you gave us all a scare. Guess what buddy? We won the tournament. It was all down to Tyson, really... but we only won because you were in our thoughts..." Kai bit his bottom lip. He felt so stupid. Ray didn't even flinch, it didn't even look like he could hear, yet he carried on. "Who did this to you? I-I need to know. The question in my mind right now is why anyone would want to do this to you- I have to ask them."

Kai gasped loudly, the sudden flinch from Ray's arm making his heart speed up. His crimson eyes stared in bemusement. The Neko began to move, but only slightly, his chest beginning to slowly rise and fall heavily, his now steamy-looking face grimacing against something- as though he was dreaming.

"Ray?" Kai asked, standing up. "Can you hear me, Ray?-" Before Kai could say anything else, to his surprise, Ray began to speak, his eyes still closed though were wincing repeatedly.

"Ah.." Ray's body squirmed as though being tortured, a bad nightmare perhaps playing in his oblivious mind. "Fern- No!"

Kai's whole body froze.

"Fern, are you mad? Why are..." He stopped for a moment, as though trying to cope with a strong pain. "..you doing this? You... did this to me. It was... Fern." As though Ray had heard Kai's question, his words slipped through Kai's ears, hitting his core so hard he couldn't bring himself to move. "What's the blade called, Fern? Where did you get the beyblade from? Driger... Why did..." Kai continued to stare in horror. "...Why did... the beyblade..."

Suddenly Ray's body stopped moving, his face seemingly settling down again and he returned to gentle breathing, his chest rising and falling so serenely, it was like it never happened and the dream had drifted away.

Kai used a hand to rub his still wide, disbelieving eyes. No. It couldn't be. Why would she...? He closed his eyes, a deep, deep nerve rattling somewhere. Sickness overwhelmed him.

Meanwhile, Tyson, Max and Kenny were running frantically back the way they came from the Blade Warrior's room, puffing and panting. Tyson stopped to catch his breath, and Max zipped passed him, tugging on his shirt, gesturing him to get a move on. Kenny sighed and stopped too, abruptly causing Max to look at them with dread in his eyes.

"Guys, we can't stop now!" He exclaimed, his blue, fearful eyes watering again.

Kenny spoke between breaths, his paws clipping Dizzi hard under his arm. "Max.. they're obviously not down here... maybe Kai.. or Fern... has... found them."

Tyson was leant against the wall when suddenly he let go and stood up straight, attention riding onto him. "Yeah, maybe. There is one place we haven't checked yet. Our room!"

Kenny didn't look too sure. "Why would they be there?"

Max looked brighter. "Maybe they're waiting for us! Right, Tyson!?" The blonde looked at him, hope in his face. Tyson smiled and nodded.

"Yeah... maybe. Only one way to find out!" Tyson grinned and gave Max the thumbs up, trying to increase his friend's spirits. Max smiled back at together they began to jog again back to their room, Kenny tagging behind. He suddenly noted to himself after all this was over, he was going to work out.

Tyson slammed open the door, his eyes searching around frantically, casting on every corner of the room. Max leapt in after him, keen to see even though he knew by Tyson's silence there was no one; And looking around, he felt his heart drop again. It was empty.

Kenny squeezed in having finally caught up to them. "Jeez... where could they be?"

Max shook his head. "Kai or Fern must have found them by now."

"Maybe we shouldn't have rushed off so quickly. If we'd have told Mr. Dickenson first, maybe we could have had a more thorough search carried out by the BBA staff.."

Max turned to Kenny, eyes burning in anger and Kenny looked shocked, his mousey face shivering. "Are you serious?! If we had waited a second longer they might be as far as China!" Kenny looked down, his apologetic face suddenly calming the blonde down. "Aw, I'm sorry. It's just- well.." He felt a hand clasp on his shoulder.

"I know. We will find them, I promise," Tyson smiled at Max, his gentle expression soothing. Max smiled and nodded back.

"What's this..." Tyson and Max turned to see Kenny by the sofa, pulling off a yellow sticky note, along with a small map.

Curious, they both crowded around him. "What's it say?" Asked Tyson.

_Hello Bladebreakers,  
You may notice that we're not, how should I put it, present at the stadium any more.  
We have Fern. I could call it a ransom, but call it whatever you want.  
Follow the instructions on the attached map and go to a place called Lake Placid. Go to the mountains near there and to the old warehouse.  
DO NOT alert anyone, not the BBA, not Mr Stanley Dickenson, no one, unless you want to see the girl alive again.  
Oh. One more thing. Bring your beyblades. _

Your friends, the Blade Warriors  
_  
_Everyone felt their blood run cold. Stunned, they stood in silence for a few moments, all reading the letter over again and again, making sure they hadn't got it wrong. 

Finally, Tyson began to speak, his voice almost a whisper. "What the heck is going on?" Footsteps from behind brought them all to look around, still shaken up. When they saw it was Kai, their faces didn't alter and they stared at him, their eyes wide and humourless. They didn't much notice, but Kai's was, too.

"What's going on, Kai?" Max asked, holding up the letter for Kai to read. "This says Fern's been kidnapped! Look!" He literally pushed it in Kai's face and held it as Kai scanned the sheet quickly, his face not bursting into any disbelief.

Tyson curled his fists, a new sort of anger he hadn't ever felt before tearing at his heart. "Those.. Blade Warriors. What is their game? Is it because they want our bitbeasts? This is..."

Kenny snarled, fury whithering on his face, too. "They're cowards! It just shows how 'big' they are, using an innocent girl for their dirty deeds... so basically it's our bitbeasts for her?" Kenny trailed off, suddenly feeling smaller than he already was. He stared down at his closed laptop, cursing himself. "We should have never let her go off on her own!"

"No, chief!" Tyson yelled. "It's not our fault. There's only four people to blame, and that's those..." his voice settled to a sharp whisper. "Blade Warriors." He looked up at Kai. "Captain? What do we do?" Everyone looked at Kai thoughtfully. Nothing in return came. A blank expression radiated from his face, his crimson gaze causing them to wonder. "Kai?"

"...If you want to save a traitor, be my guest!" Kai suddenly spun, leaving them gagging in shock, and walked out, his arms swinging beside him casually.

"KAI!... KAI!" Tyson yelled after him, but it was no use. He was already gone. "Dammit, what does he mean? What the hell is going on!?" The blue dragon shared a fearful glance with Max and Kenny, the quiet yet obvious realization that they were evidently going to have to go.

Kenny sighed, looking across at both of them. "We have no choice." Tyson and Max nodded briefly, their faces grim. Kenny grabbed the map but left the sticky note on the sofa. "Just in case Kai changes his mind, he should find it." And with that, the three set off, confused and suddenly feeling so alone.

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**Well... :) There we go. Only 5 chapters left... amazingly... hope you liked it, and if you did, a review would be very much welcomed XP.**


	30. The Master

**I totally defied the promise I made to myself to update at least once every two weeks, so I was pretty annoyed when I wrote this chapter XD. It hasn't made any different effect on it though, don't worry. **

**Tyson: Thanks once again to you wonderful readers and reviewers... xvegas-on-acidx, rebelmewpheonix, Greywolf09, unknown dark preistess, FairyDyris and kaito142! -Runs off to find food-**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 30- The Master**

It was cold and rather dreary, the gentle flakes of snow falling from above landing thickly on the mounted area, making everything glow a mysterious white.

Tyson, Max and Kenny stood and stared around, their faces expressing concern which matched the emotions they were feeling right now- dread and worry overwhelmed them. It was total madness, if they'd been told 2 weeks ago they'd be having to chase the Blade Warriors across New York to save a girl, they would have all laughed.

Then again, it was so _mad _they just grew to believe it was happening, and it was serious. Their minds were blank and even they knew they were oblivious to what was going on; the only way they would find out anything was to find the rival team.

Tyson grimaced against the sharp chill in the air, clutching his body. "A-are we there yet? Can anyone see anything?"

All around them, mountains, whiteness- it was like they'd just stepped into another dimension all of a sudden, from walking the streets of New York to riding a bus down to the giant infamous Lake Placid. And so far, there was no sign of any old warehouse which they were told specifically to go to.

Kenny sighed and moved Dizzi to one side as he rolled out the map again. "It says we have to cross the lake, which we've done, and follow the main mountain path... take the small cut-"

Tyson winced. "That part _always_ freaks me out. It's like 'wander away from the main, safe path and go to the deepest, darkest part of the woods and enter clear danger-"

"Tyson _please_!" Kenny snapped, sharing a glance with Max, who was freezing his toes off. Tyson scoffed and Kenny sighed. "Look, this is just making us argue! To get through this we have to work together, okay?!" Tyson and Max sighed then nodded. "Okay. According to the map we're only a few yards away... so where could it be..."

Everyone looked around, confused. There was no indication of any old building anywhere, just a mass of white snow and they were surrounded by slopes and mountains. "Hey, maybe it's around there!" Max pointed towards a corner, a different path leading.

Kenny suddenly grinned. "Ah of course! It must be because it's pointing South. Good going Max!" Led by Kenny, the three quickly jogged around the corner, hoping for the best- that's when Kenny stopped and started, his eyes suddenly filled with uneasiness.

In front of them stood a high, old building, standing out darkly among the white mess like an old, haunted house in a graveyard. As their eyes took in the sight, everything hit them quickly that this was going to be dangerous- anything could be in there, and by the looks of it's shabby roof and worn-away concreted-walls and peeling paint, it was falling down.

"You can't be serious!" Tyson gaped, grabbing a hold of Max's shoulder.

"Tyson, this has to be the place. There's no where else, and as the note said, it's an old warehouse." He paused for a second, gulping. "It sure is big mind, but if Fern's in there, then we've got to take this chance."

Max's long sigh caused attention to swerve onto him. His face was as pale as a sheet, his usually ocean-blue eyes a dim, grey sea. "This is bizarre, but I suppose we have to go in, right?"

"You read the letter, Fern's in trouble. Why they've got her, well, it's obvious. They want our bit-beasts- they even said so. I just...- what _is_ wrong with Kai?" Kenny wondered, his mind travelling away. Tyson stepped forward and Max and Kenny gasped, watching him walk slowly to the large double doors.

"We can think later.. as you said, Fern's in trouble," Tyson spoke and suddenly stopped at the door, turning around. "Let's go guys." Max and Kenny looked at each other and felt a whole new emotion linger inside, their blood racing with adrenaline. "She's depending on us..."

On that note, Max and Kenny joined Tyson and he pushed open the door only slightly and slowly, for a moment pausing to glance into the room. There wasn't much to see; it was dark and dicey, but knowing Fern was in a place like this made him want to go in all the more- and he pushed the door open fully, a cringey squeak coming from the hinges.

Light from the outside burst into the room in front of them and they stared carefully, watching out for any suspicious movements. It was fairly large and lit slightly with a blue light, though there were many others all cracked and not working- as suspected, it was run-down.

There was a simple beyblade dish in the middle of the room, seemingly set up especially for them. Kenny shivered. "I don't like this. Hey-" He protested when Tyson walked further in, glued to his surroundings. It was clearly a trap, but Fern was in there somewhere- hopefully.

Max and Kenny walked forward and joined Tyson, staying close to each other and staying widely alert. A set of stairs was held in the corner and there were numerous other doors as well, tightly shut it seemed.

Suddenly, a horrendous bang caused all three boys to yell out and spin around, immediately realizing what it was- the double doors had slammed shut on them, pitching them into greater darkness.

Kenny panicked and ran to the door. "Oh no!" He pulled the door's handle in vain, grasping it with his tiny paws. Thumping of his heart drained into his ears, fear spreading over him. It was deadly shut, no way out- trapped, they had been tricked. "How can we fall for the most common trick in the book!?"

"ARGH!" Tyson yelled, punching the air with his tense fist. "SHOW YOURSELF ALREADY YOU BASTARDS!"

"Yeah!" Max joined in, anger streaming his hot veins. "You cowards! What's locking us in going to do huh!?"

"Ah!" Kenny squealed, now banging on the door furiously, his fear radiating from his face. "You can't do this to us! This is bad this is bad this is bad..."

"Hahahaha..." All three teens froze like rabbits. A sneered chuckle echoed through the room, making their hearts race faster than light if it was humanly possible. Kenny squealed again and ran to Tyson and Max, their eyes lunging around, desperate to find the voice.

Slowly, a movement occurred from the staircase and they narrowed their eyes, trying to make out the figures that were at the top. Tyson felt Kenny grab his hand, hard, and he squeezed back with all his might. Finally, four figures were revealed when the dim light hit them half way down the staircase, the evil faces flashing through them.

Tyson tightened his fists. "FLINT!" Flint leading, Alex, Sam and Rio were grinning wildly, something weird and drawing about their eyes. They were filled with madness, complete and utter insanity flickering through their bit-beast crazed orbs. Possessive expressions were the least of their worries, but they stopped in front of the beydish, their blades in sight, and there was no sign of Fern.

"Alright you jerks, what have you done with Fern?!" Tyson growled, his furious voice making Kenny whimper.

Their shadowed figures and faces were daunting, looking almost like something out of a horror movie- and they were the madmen, after them like some psychotic murderers. Something was amiss, their different portrayal raising questions in their extremely confused minds.

Flint sniggered, his laugh so eerie it sent a shiver down their spines. "She is being taken care of by our Master."

A sudden rush of bravery erupted inside Kenny and he sprung forward, pointing his finger at the Blade Warriors. "If you lay one finger on her-"

Alex's voice cut him off. "Uh-uh. We won't touch her, unless you battle us." He saw their reluctant faces and he laughed. "Oh, and if you don't battle us, we'll make sure Fern will receive the same fate she did to Ray." He took pleasure in seeing their faces suddenly drop, horror knitted inside their eyes.

"What are you talking about!?"

"You liar! You little son of a-" Tyson shouted loudly, until this time Rio butted in.

"Hahaha. Look at them men, they're clueless!" Rio's smiled dropped. "Ab..solutely... Clue...less!"

Max scoffed. "Pff. _Men_?"

Tyson's head spun. Faster and faster, everything they said was drained into his head, causing hard pain. Nothing was as bad as not knowing, and his confused mind couldn't take it any longer. It hurt madly when he tried to think, and watching his two other team mates' faces, he could tell they were enduring the same war.

"Shall we put them out of their misery?" Flint smirked, looking at Sam specifically.

"YOU LIARS!" Tyson suddenly blurted, mind swimming with confusion. He turned to Max and Kenny. "Don't listen to them guys, everything they say is a lie!"

Sam frowned, his baby-like suddenly appearing more sinister. "You want the truth right?" Their faces were ponderous, dying for answers, deep in denial. "I can see you want to know. I'll tell you _everything_." The Bladebreaker's were desperate for the truth, their faces dripping with the _need_ to know. Before they found themselves going completely insane. "It was Fern who put Ray in hospital, I can assure you that."

Max shook his head hard, his hands flaring into the air. "No... I don't believe you! Fern would never do that!"

"Don't worry Max, they're just saying that to trick us," Tyson patted him on the shoulder and scowled at the Blade Warriors. "As if, you must think we were all born yesterday. It was you guys who did that to Ray, _not_ Fern, and you took Driger. Now you've kidnapped Fern and you're threatening us to battle you in return of her safety. It's basic enough and you're just adding that extra bit of drama!"

"Oh bravo, bravo..." Flint muttered, gripping his blade tighter, and making it obvious by holding it outright. "You really don't have any clue, do you? Just wait until Ray wakes up. He'll tell you what you refuse to believe, and you'll also probably find out soon _why_ he is getting better in the first place. Yes, we do have Driger, but only because Fern helped us."

Severely their heads spun. It wasn't right- it couldn't be right. What were they to gain by feeding them this so called truthful information? Suddenly a yelp left Kenny's lips and Tyson and Max glanced at him, their faces screwing up in pain of being so clueless.

Kenny looked like he'd just seen a ghost and he was gasping heavily, his eyes flashing in shock. "Guys! Remember... what Kai said before we left."

_"...If you want to save a traitor, be my guest!"_

Tyson gagged, holding his head. "No.. I.. don't understand..."

"On the subject of Kai, I see he isn't with you. If he doesn't show up, then you won't get Draciel or Driger back at all," Flint snapped, taking a welcoming delight in seeing their bewildered faces.

"Why would you give us them back if you _want_ them!? You're such liars!" Kenny yelled. "What is it you _really_ want?" He was surprised when Flint smiled.

He ignored the question. "Fair enough. If you battle me you'll get Fern back. If you beat me then you'll get the bit-beasts back-"

"...And if I lose, I lose Dragoon, right?" Tyson raised his fists. Flint smirked and nodded.

Kenny nudged Tyson. "No Tyson, no! You can't! You don't know what these guys are going to do, how do we know they're telling the truth?"

Tyson pushed Kenny away and stared at the Blade Warriors as he spoke, determination in his eyes. "We don't, but we have to take that risk and I know the consequences- but if battling Flint means to save Fern, then I have to do it." Kenny stared at him in shock, then slowly nodded and sighed.

"Alright, Tyson... but just remember, this isn't a fun battle- it's life and death!" Kenny warned, feeling the true madness settling in now.

"You don't think he knows that?" Max asked, and he cupped Tyson's shoulder. "No pressure Tyson, but you have to win this no matter what. These idiots are pathetic and it's time for them to stop patronizing us. I don't know about Kai, but... right now you're our only chance. We're all confused and have no idea what's going on but put that aside for now and fight for Fern anyway."

"I know..." Tyson grabbed his blade from his belt and started to ride it up his ripcord, fastening it onto his launcher as Flint watched hungrily, reflecting his actions. "Words can't describe how... how angry I feel right now. I have no choice, but I promise, I'll win this."

"A promise that is about to be broken..." Flint chuckled and pointed his launcher at the metal dish in front of them, his eyes flickering darkly. Kenny held tightly onto Max, feeling the tension rise deeply when Tyson shot his launcher towards the dish, his vision colliding heavily with Flint's. Now it wasn't some silly game any more. It was personal, and he _had_ to win, despite his juddering legs and trembling hands.

"Take one last good look into Flint's eyes because you'll remember them as the eyes you lost to..." Sam taunted, standing back away from the dish. Tyson snarled and glared at Flint, the hate so strong now he could feel his power rising and rising. "Ready?" Tyson had never felt so ready before. "3, 2,1, prepare to lose!"

On that unsettling note, Tyson pulled back his ripcord strongly and his blade sprouted into the dish. Flint was in time with him and his hard launch gave him the immediate upper hand, causing his blade to literally thump into the dish, rattling it so much it was a wonder the dish didn't split in half.

'Alright Dragoon, this is really important. Winning this match means saving Fern from these weirdos- I don't know what's going on, but right now, my only priority is winning. Let's give this our best shot!' Tyson heard his bit-beast roar back in approval.

Flint's blue blade spun like it owned the dish, crashing around and suddenly spun into Tyson's Dragoon, sending it flying a few feet back with only just one shove! Tyson's eyes grew wide though suddenly his face fell back to glaring, despite the banging in his head, his confusion, he just had to hold together.

"Dragoon attack!" Tyson yelled and Dragoon spun wildly towards Flint's blade, wobbling the unstructured dish slightly and just as the blade was about the crash into Flint's, the blue blade twisted and turned around, dancing off the rim and flying forward, rummaging straight into Tyson's.

"What the!" Max gaped at the sight. "Tyson's move backfired completely! So Flint is good with attack _and_ defence?!"

"Don't worry Max, I'm just warming up!" Tyson reassured him, and his white blade spun around the edge of the dish, circling the lone blade in the middle teasingly. His eyes were full of concentration, his heart flying wildly but trying to keep his head focused, trying not to make any wrong move-

Flint was going to strike again, his blade pounding towards Tyson's. "DRAGOON NOW!" In a flash of unexpectedness, the white blade sped faster and dodged Flint's attack, and his brown eyes widened as Dragoon slammed into his blade sharply, causing it to jitter closer to the edge. Tyson looked up and smiled in seeing Flint's annoyed face, and shouts of excitement were heard from Max and Kenny. "Don't underestimate _me_."

"Man, you _really_ have no idea, do you?" Flint's sudden grin caused Tyson to drop his and he changed to a scowl, the burning fury in his eyes so hard it almost hurt him. "Show him our true power, Levhell!"

"Oh, you're calling your bitbeast already?" Tyson snapped, wiping his sweating head momentarily.

"You are joking, I won't need to use him," Flint spat back and before the Bladebreaker's very eyes, Flint's blade engaged in a dazzling sparkling blue light, only small but strong enough to light up the whole room, hovering around his deadly beyblade.

"Then what do you call that!?" Tyson demanded to know. Max and Kenny could feel the anger in Tyson's voice wrap their bodies in tension, his clear wrath making his whole body shake.

"Tyson, try to relax!" Kenny cried, worried for his friend's mental state.

Flint shook his head, his dark brown eyes glowing, his distinctive scar showing more than ever in the luminous light. "That's just the power alone my blade holds. I should really thank our master for this."

Tyson looked confused. "Master? What, are you saying you're being _told_ to do this!?"

Flint scowled. "Enough talk!" Everyone's eyes widened in dismay when Flint's unpredictable immortal beyblade flashed before their eyes, cruising smoothly and so quickly they didn't catch the movement until the outcome. The blade rammed into Tyson's, attaching to it like glue as the wild and monstrous attack ring began to wear down Dragoon, spinning so out of control it didn't seem as though Flint was controlling it any more.

The such power it held was greater than anything a human could handle- and the screams of the team echoed through out the room, the insane laughing of Flint rattling through their ears, and their eyes were being fed to complete beyblade destruction.

Tyson looked on, horrific, hopeless. He could hardly move, he couldn't even make a simple getaway move. The eerie sound of Flint slicing Dragoon was disturbing, inhuman. Soon the whole team of Blade Warriors were chuckling triumphantly, deliriously.

"TYSON!" Max cried over the sheering sounds, like it was something out of a true nightmare. "You have to pull yourself together! You can't win this if you just stand there!" Himself and Kenny could both see Tyson's frozen face, his mind truly scarred. The sight was horrific and even they didn't know whether Tyson could handle it.

To their shock, Tyson suddenly spun around, his face wet and his eyes blazing with terror, a look that would haunt them forever. A lone tear fell from his eye. "You don't think I'm trying?" He whimpered, staring back at his blade being slaughtered cruelly. Dragoon was crawling further and further towards the edge of the dish, the dragon holding on with all his might. "Dragoon is being worn down, and there's nothing I can do.. unless..."

Kenny gulped, knowing exactly what Tyson wanted to do. "Calling out Dragoon Tyson- you know what'll happen, right?"

Tyson closed his eyes then nodded, feeling the dread. "I know- but I have to take this chance.. Fern needs our help, right?" Kenny felt his mouth open in protest, though changed his mind then nodded. Even though losing Dragoon would be a catastrophe, losing Fern would be much worse.

Tyson straightened up, holding his head high and pointed directly at Flint. "You won't make a mockery of me any more- " Tyson suddenly exploded, his voice becoming higher and higher. "-once you see the POWER OF DRA-GOON!" He held his hand high and shouted at the top of his lungs, his drained energy suddenly reappearing.

Max and Kenny watched in amazement when a blasting light erupted from the white blade, an energised dragon swaying smoothly from the small bitchip and letting out a strangled _roar, _immediately bursting like a red-hot bomb, gliding through the air for a moment.

Flint felt his blade pull back a little, the disastrous slicing coming to a slow much to the Bladebreakers' delight. The energy of the released bitbeast spun around Tyson like a whirl of fire, an amazing strength forcing itself onto Flint's blade and the white blade began to push back, a shocking force bewildering the Blade Warriors.

Flint's blade was being punished, Dragoon successfully warning him off, though the blue light stayed well and strong around the blue blade.

Tyson yelled out in anger when suddenly Flint smirked and casually wiped some dirt from his shoulder. "I suppose I will have to use Levhell after all. Nice one Granger, you deserve a cookie." Tyson felt his veins popping, literally, his startling anger causing Max and Kenny more concern.

"LEVHELL!" A darker blue light blasted like a rocket from the enemy beyblade, drowning the whole room in a huge lightening mess. Tyson could feel his hands shaking, his head pounding- but he wasn't going to let some bitbeast stop him by any means.

Kenny gasped at the sight, an even greater force exploding into a giant, scaled leviathan, a snake-like creature. "Oh, maybe Dizzi can help!" He cried suddenly and Max looked over his shoulder as he pulled open Dizzi desperately.

"Why did you have to wake me? I was peaceful here!" The computer exclaimed.

Kenny cried out in anger. "Dizzi, please! This is definitely not the time. We need your help, and I wouldn't ask if I wasn't fearing for someone's life!" Absently Max and Kenny could feel the wind across their faces, the battle still raging on.

"Well in that case, how can I help?" She asked, generally sounding concerned.

"Just whatever you can find out about a bitbeast called Levhell and it's master Flint!"

"Searching..." Dizzi began to search her files, sending the two boys into a nervous silence. It was taking too long, by now Tyson could be losing, or worse. "Ah!" Kenny's face brightened. "This is quite amazing. It's not much, but this power you say a bitbeast named Levhell holds doesn't appear to be... well... official."

Max looked confused. "Official?"

"Yeah, I have reason to believe it may be copied from something else, another source. It's strange, but I know alot of it doesn't belong to him," Dizzi explained. "But he still has it, so it doesn't matter either way. Maybe it was surpassed."

Kenny sighed. "Then.. who _does_ it belong to?"

---

_"You... did this to me."_

Ray's words still haunted Kai. They wouldn't go away, they just kept circling his baffled mind, causing him to brink into an even bigger state, the questions floating around, unanswered, unknown, painful, frustrating.

That's how he felt. Unknown, painful, frustrated. Coming to terms with something as _big _as this just wasn't an option any more. His feelings were unknown, he hadn't any clue what the whole purpose of the human world was any more. He thought he was done with traitors- as far as he was concerned, every single one of them could go rot in hell, alone.

Yet, he was feeling so alone, and he knew how it felt. Fern Ryuki- he couldn't stop thinking about her. She was sweet, he so doubtfully admitted, just a sweet, innocent girl; not any more, he didn't know _who_ she was any more. The cursed feeling inside his stomach was driving him up the wall- what did it mean? He wanted to punch something, do anything to let his anger out. He _hated_ her so much for what she had done, but... at the back of his mind, he knew he didn't. It was something more.

He'd always assumed she was normal, until that night she revealed her past to him, and her so called gift. It wasn't really a special power, more of a glitch about her, really. But the weirdness just kept on coming... Fern? A traitor? That word mixed with Fern alone was more harder to comprehend.

'Why... why...' He cursed questions, despised unanswered questions. 'Why would she betray us, after everything..." A terrifying thought suddenly crossed his mind. 'Dranzer. Was she going to take her to? Was she going to do that same thing to me, the so-called flame. Or was she planning to do this all along? Is she an apprentice of the Blade Warriors? It all makes sense now...'

Kai thought back to that training lesson when her and him had had their first beybattle together and then soon after she went wandering.

_'Hmmm... I know them...' Kai knew exactly who they were, it was the Blade Warriors. But why were they here? _

'Now I know why... it must have been some kind of deal, yeah, that's it...' Kai snapped open his eyes. Thinking about it now, there were loads of small signs that he felt so stupid for missing and not realizing sooner. The hints were always there, he just couldn't believe they were so petty. 'But now I think I can break it down.' 

_Rio pulled his long, dark blue jacket closed and held it there. "And who do you think you are? Small, puny. Little rat. You're a pointless edition to that team. You make it look even more pathetic. I don't suppose... you want them to know?"_

'Want us to know about a deal, maybe? The Blade Warriors obviously knew something...'

_"Power is stronger than determination! Tell that to one of your.. friends," Alex spoke coldly, mildly smiling._

'Just... what did he mean by that? Agh! What is going on!?'

Suddenly he felt his faithful, old fire bird enter his mind unwittingly. 'I know you crave answers, master. The only way you are ever going to know anything is when you see the girl again. Your team only left five minutes ago, you could still catch up with them.'

Kai grimaced against his bitbeast's thoughts, but apart of him wanted to listen. She was right. 'I know.'

'And.. well, it may be out of my league in the understanding of how you feel for her, but it's not just her who needs help.' Kai's crimson eyes flashed in realization. 'That's right Kai. Your team need help. You're they're captain and you've let them go alone to an unknown territory, probably filled with dangers. Save them, master Kai...'

Kai pondered for a moment, looking as though he was seriously considering it. Before Dranzer could get her hopes up, Kai suddenly snapped, raising his fist high. 'But she betrayed us...'

'-And _you_, promised her...'

The teen felt his heart skip a beat, and without notice, he felt his memory drift back and back, to _that_ night.

_"If I fall... will you catch me?" _

"Kai? If I'm ever in trouble, would you come and save me? In fact- no! Promise me you'll be my _hero!"_

Kai closed his eyes.

"Hey... I promise..." 

He reopened them, a light whisper raving from their glistening shine, like a newly found hope. "I did promise her, didn't I?" This time he spoke out loud, and he pushed his back away from the wall.

He heard Dranzer let out a squeal of delight. 'You did. Now go be her hero- and your teams.'

'If I can find it within myself...' Kai shook his head, resting again against the wall. Dranzer sighed, her wise old singing voice drifting through his mind. There was more work to be done, it seemed.

---

The battle was raging on, Dragoon and Levhell battling it out for the desperate win. The leviathan's power was indescribable, unstoppable- the speed was incredible as it whizzed around the dish, ten times stronger than it was before, the tension so hard between the bladers they were both sweating, a whirlwind of noise and light and corrupt sounds merging through the air, creating the ultimate destructive battle.

"Dragoon now!" Tyson's blade slammed into Flint's, but his eyes grew wide when the rival didn't even flinch- and it just seemed to hold back Tyson, stopping Dragoon from moving anywhere. "Dragoon!" Tyson cried again, literally feeling the energy drain from his voice and body. He suddenly felt so weak, so helpless.

"Hahaha. Looks like good old reliable Dragoon is going to be _all_ mine.." Flint smirked, his daring and happy eyes watching his blade stop Tyson's from doing anything apart from spin against his.

"Not necessarily _all_ yours, captain.." Flint heard Rio say, but he just sighed and carried on. He was the one blessed with the most power. Obviously he was going to have first try of Dragoon, after his master, of course.

Max and Kenny held onto each other, their worlds falling apart viciously. "Chief.. what... do we do?" Max asked in between breaths, the heavy wind wearing him out.

Kenny gulped and shook his head. "I-I don't know.." He stared in terror at Flint's evil expression, the light clinging to his face like a torch in the dark, like one of those childish scary pranks. But it wasn't a prank, it was real- and that's what scared him the most.

"T-Tyson!" Max yelled at his fearful friend. "Y-You've got to pull yourself together... do this for Fern _and_ Ray!"

Tyson thought about Ray. He knew he could do it for him as well. But where was the strength any more? He'd found determination before but this time Flint was just too powerful and it baffled him. He was only holding on with a tiny leash of his power and that was all he had left; Dragoon was worn out, being beaten... He looked up and saw Dragoon and Levhell fighting it out.

The dragon was taking a squeezing bravely, screaming out in pain as the leviathan curled around his body, squashing him to a possible end. Tyson closed his eyes, his eyes watering. 'I can't bare to see you like this Dragoon.. but what can I do.. this time the fact is that I'm just not powerful enough. There's nothing I can do.'

'I'm weakening, Tyson..' He heard Dragoon enter his mind, his out-of-breath state alarming him.

'I know. I'm sorry..'

'We can do this.. I have _some_ energy left.' Tyson wiped away one of his tears and somehow managed to stand up straight. If anything, he had to try something. Then he could say he had tried everything.

"Alright Dra-goon!" Kenny and Max gasped when Tyson suddenly shouted. "Galaxy Storm!" Flint's eyes narrowed when suddenly a small tornado began to form from his white blade, eventually growing, bigger and bigger, until it filled the whole dish and the whole surface above was flashing with swirling wind, attempting to demolish Flint's beyblade.

Flint snarled when he saw Levhell lose his balance and he was flung away from Dragoon, the dragon letting rip an almighty roar. Tyson smirked but not before long, it dropped when the hurricane suddenly began to decrease, the power fading away, until nothing but his beyblade was left spinning in the dish alongside Flint's.

"Oh no!" Max cried. "Tyson's Galaxy Storm stopped! This is bad!"

"Tyson.." Kenny cried, all hope gone from him. "He's out of energy. Is this it, then?"

"'Fraid so," Flint laughed and he held out his arm, pointing directly at Tyson's beyblade. "Knock him out clean and dead Levhell!" Everything seemed to blaze before their very eyes. Levhell spun faster and grew closer to Dragoon in a flash of light, Max and Kenny staring in disbelief, Tyson crying out, a wreck, as the last finishing blow was upcoming and rising in...

_Smack!_

A burst of light hit the room and collapsed all around, a sharp noise echoing and Flint's blade was sent flying away from Tyson's, right to the other end of the dish.

Bewildered, Tyson spun around and stared, his eyes wide and faltered, seeing the culprit stood in the milky doorway in front of a whole load of snow-

For a second, he couldn't believe his eyes. No one could. Flint stared in shock, clearly frustrated and annoyed. It was Kai Hiwatari.

Dranzer came flying back towards Kai and he caught it absently, his white scarf drifting slightly behind him, his stance upright and sane, cool and protected. Max and Kenny felt the biggest relief ever, and Tyson looked at him like he was a God, saving them all.

"Sorry I'm late," Kai spoke coolly, smiling at his team mate's shocked but overly happy faces.

"Kai!" Max and Kenny yelled together, their voices as high as kites.

Tyson suddenly laughed, causing attention to rise onto him. "You jerk. Showing me up like this."

Kai smirked. "Just doing my duty- watching your backs." Soon after, his smile fell and the Blade Warriors watched as he walked towards the dish, their faces angry but greedy, knowing he _had_ Dranzer. "Let's finish this together Tyson!" He smiled and nodded and before the Blade Warriors could do anything to protest, Kai yelled out a battle roar and let rip his beyblade into the dish, joining the other two.

Flint snarled. "Fine, if that's how you want to play it, the easier for me! LEVHELL ICE BLAST!" The giant leviathan's scales began to transform into razor-sharp icicles, growing in size by the minute.

"This can't go on..." Kai looked over at Tyson, his concerned look expressing that he too was bemused by Flint's power- and Tyson's beaten up posture. But his readiness made an impression on Tyson, and he nodded. "You know what to do."

All of a sudden Kai waved his arm as though reaching for a star, his mouth opening. "DRANZERRRR!" A blaze of fire erupted through the air, sparks flying in every direction, burning out the oncoming icy scales of Levhell. Tyson closed his eyes and appeared to concentrate, before opening then again, revealing a set of dark, determined eyes.

"DRAGOON NOW!" A small hurricane began to form, rising, mingling in with Kai's fire which made it blow everywhere, crushing each and every scale that tried to hit them.

Flint stared, shocked, his eyes wide and furious. "What!? How can this be happening!?" He appeared quite nervous and drained, his legs noticeably juddering slightly. "Levhell!"

"NOW TYSON!" Kai yelled in a last victory cry, pushing himself to a limit to which his own phoenix's fire burnt his skin, the intense heat of the waving flames from the deathly hurricane washing the room in powdered light and might, Max and Kenny watching on intensely, Flint and the Blade Warriors having to rub their eyes.

"Ahh!" Everyone cried out as a giant blaze hit them, a massive collision causing a piece of dirty concrete to smash into the room from the ceiling, the whole place shaking like a vibration from an explosive, lasting for seconds.

Slowly, the light began to dawn down and the teams were all on the ground, having been knocked by the impact and all as intense as ever, their faces covered. Tyson and Kai peeked up, the dust and rubble slowly clearing, though the room was very unbalanced, a few rocks and stones falling from above. The result was in.

Tyson suddenly grinned in unexplainable happiness. Spinning like there was no tomorrow, Dragoon and Dranzer spun firmly but loosely in the dish, holding on by a thread. Outside the dish sat a blue blade, and it's master, staring at it with a white face, a look of terror.

"TYSON, KAI!" Max and Kenny ran up to the two boys and helped them up, happiness filling them up inside. "You did it! You did it!" A slow, green light caught everyone's eye, and they looked across to the source. Emerging from Flint's beyblade, a familiar face brought Max to beam in happiness, his head high in the clouds.

"Draciel! I-I can't believe it!" He held out his blade and giggled madly as the sliding light glided slowly back into Max's beyblade where he belonged. "Oh guys, you're the best! This is what we've been fighting for and we've got it!"

Tyson smirked. "Welcome back, Draciel," He held out his hand and caught his own blade, and Kai did the same, both clutching and looking down at theirs curiously. "You did me proud, Dragoon." There was still one thing he almost forgot. He looked up and glared. "So Flint-" He paused, sceptical. The Blade Warriors looked as grim as the night, looking mournful and terrified. It was like a brick, hitting them in the face to clearly they could literally see the fear whirling within their emotional eyes.

"They looked really scared," Kenny mumbled to Max.

"M-Master will be so, so disappointed in us.." Flint stuttered, his voice changing to a whitering wreck.

Kai looked surprised. "Who?"

"He means me..." A million alarms set off inside their heads when the cold, dark, husky voice brought their attention to a shadowy man stood by the door, his figure well-built and tall, a somewhat familiar tone causing them to freeze, their hearts stopping only for a second...

The mysterious man stepped out of the dark and into the light, his distinctive purple hair flashing through their eyes like a bad dream. It was none other than Boris.

* * *

**Tyson: -Is eating ramen- Teeheehee. Wasn't it obvious all along? O.O**

**Aha. Only 4 chapters left.. (XD Look at me, I'm counting down.) Please send a review!**


	31. Fallen Star

**Hey again. Guess what! ... No really, guess. Yup! Another chapter!... Maxieeee! Head out of the sugar bowl please.**

**Max: Huh!? -covered in sugar- Oh! Right... Love to readers and reviewers for making Angel Sakura's day. (Blue Fire Phoenix, valinor, FairyDyris, rebelmewpheonix, unknown dark preistess, see-no-evil-san and kaito142!)**

* * *

**Dance Like No One's Watching**

* * *

**Chapter 31- Fallen Star**

Hilary exchanged glances with the also worried White Tigers, seeing the Bladebreaker's room empty.

"Where could they be!? I only saw Kai a few seconds ago- he couldn't have gone far," Mariah sighed, her pretty pink head ready to burst. Everything was so weird. They'd just won the American tournament, _then _they go gallivanting around the stadium and suddenly there's no trace of them. It almost seemed like alien activity, as crazy as that sounded.

Lee rubbed his chin, pondering. After a few seconds, he spoke. "Man, I dunno. One thing's for sure though, something awful fishy is going on here..."

"Hey guys, what's this?" Everyone looked over to see Kevin picking up a sticky note from the floor. The White Tigers and Hilary crowded around him, scanning the sheet quickly, their faces suddenly draining from colour. For a moment, there was silence. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"Ugh," Hilary scoffed. "Of course it is! You know what they're like. I think Tyson wrote it. So this is a game, huh?"

Mariah's concerned expression didn't falter, and deep down inside, she got a strange feeling this was no game. "This is really serious! What if it's true? Fern, kidnapped!? Isn't it obvious!?" Her voice was quiet but hysterical.

"Mariah's right," Hilary scowled at Lee's words. "We should definitely show Mr. Dickenson. It would explain why they're not here."

Hilary sighed. "I guess so. But this sounds like a silly trick Tyson would play!" She watched her friend's faces turn to dread. From somewhere inside, she felt a grim feeling, too.

---

The pain in Tyson's left leg was almost oblivious to him now, his total focus on the shock figure in front of him, the man flashing through his eyes like the beginning of a nightmare. Kai's mouth was shot open, white astonishment on his face and feeling as though everything now was going beyond what he had ever imagined.

Max's blue eyes shone in surprise, his vulnerable face not comprehending what he was seeing. Kenny felt a shiver rattle down his spine, seeing Boris' smug, eerie smile, his scary height, his powerful presence rise over them all-

"B-B-Boris!?" Kai exclaimed, his feet dragging him forward unnoticed.

"But you should be in prison!" Tyson added, still gaping.

Boris' dark eyes flashed hungrily and pityingly, as though there was something he knew they didn't. A chuckle left his lips. His finger suddenly shot out and when it landed on the Blade Warriors, whimpering cowers left their lips, shivering against his aim. "You four failed me immensely, so I now don't need you any more. You're losers."

Another childish cower flailed from their mouths, a pathetic sound even the Bladebreakers felt sympathy for. The purple-haired man turned back to the Bladebreakers, smiling when he saw their still-shocked expressions, confused, wanting answers. "Now, how about a chat?"

"Oh, a chat, is that what you call it!?" Tyson shouted, his voice almost breaking. "Tell us what the hell is going on here. You shouldn't even _be_ here!"

"Then I'll explain," Everyone raised their eyebrows in surprise. It was like he wanted them to know, and no doubt, whatever was going to come next was going to be bad news. "Soon after I was placed in that wretched security prison I knew it was never going to end that way."

At this, the Bladebreakers looked as though they were about to explode with anger, but instead, Boris' voice trailed on. "I had obviously been going wrong somewhere, that's when it hit me. I had been taking too much direct-action. BEGA for one. So..."

"You sneak in through the back door? That's about as low as any living thing could get," Kai snarled.

Boris chuckled deeply. "Nice way of putting it. You are correct, however- if I had taken on another army of BEGA bladers I'd be stopped for sure- the quiet villains are _always _successful. The Blade Warriors were helpful to an extent." The Bladebreakers looked hateful. "They wanted to serve me and wanted a share of my greatness- they were nothing until I granted them four powerful blades, nothing at all. I am their lives..."

"Then that's one pathetic life to live then!" Kai snapped. "I remember now!" Everyone looked at Kai curiously, including Boris. Kai closed his eyes for a moment, reopening them with memories flashing through his crimson eyes. What Boris had just said triggered an unwelcome memory- and even he was surprised he had forgotten about it, remembering so clearly. "The Blade Warriors were amateur bladers from the abbey, who never got much credit if any." Kai cast his gaze onto the other team. "And that's why you're working for him. You wanted to be noticed. You wanted credit, looking up to Boris so much his needs inspired you."

Boris laughed over the Blade Warriors' attempt to speak. "Well done, Kai. I always knew you'd do me proud. Anyway. My prison escape was quick and decent, allowing me to go unnoticed."

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Max spat, his usual calm hands crunched into a ball.

"W-We still want to serve you, master..." Flint began, his voice trembling.

"SILENCE!" Boris swung around and yelled, their mousey cries echoing again. Tyson couldn't help but feel a little bit of pity for them; but only because he felt sorry for them for being so gullible and weak. So, the so-called big Blade Warriors were shivering against the heat of their master.

"You don't scare us, Boris, if that's your intention! Just cut to the chase already!" Tyson demanded.

"My, how impatient. My escape _might _be worth knowing about," Boris smirked in seeing Tyson back down.

"I don't understand. Who helped you escape? The guards must be looking for you..." Kenny asked.

"Oh, they're not any more," Everyone looked sceptical. " Fire breathes for her- and souls are her prey." The Bladebreakers looked at him like he was insane. "The beautiful fire Goddess bitbeast Black Pele rescued me from my cell after coming to me from my old laboratory, sharing the same wanted desire for bitbeasts..."

Tyson, Kai, Max and Kenny gagged.

"You see, she was one of my unused greatest accomplishments before I was thrown in prison. She craves power, and I promised her more of it.. if she helped me take down the BBA for good." Boris smirked. "Although, as Kai pointed out, I slipped through the back door and decided to get a team who worshipped me to take the bitbeasts so my identity could remain hidden. That's when I contacted the vulnerable Blade Warriors."

The dark room shadowed their thoughts, pulling at their minds uncomfortably, the information trying to be leaked and understood. Nothing made sense any more, it was disbelieving and like a _nightmare. _

"What...? Beyblade...? Black what?" Max's head spun, holding his blonde hair, his fingers running down his tangled locks.

Kai shook his head, thoughts embracing him tightly. There was one thing he couldn't shake off. Fern and the blade Ray talked about. "Could it be... Fern has been carrying this so called Black Pele?" Until his friends stared at him and gasped in wonder did he realize he had spoke out loud.

Boris raised his eyebrows as though surprised. "Hmm. So what exactly do you know, Kai?"

"Kai, what do you mean!?" Tyson asked.

He ignored Tyson. "Not enough, obviously," Kai snapped back to Boris. "Tell us more."

Boris smirked and nodded. "Black Pele has the power to... well... I'll let you work that one out for yourself. Let's just say the guard that was in charge of keeping an eye on me is under a spell." Max curled his fists, confused, the feeling of being so unaware frustrating.

"What do you want with our bitbeasts this time? Or is that a stupid question?" Tyson asked unfriendly.

Boris grinned widely. "May as well tell you my intentions as seen as this time I cannot be stopped any way. The BBA isn't working how I want it to- with the power of Dragoon, Dranzer, Driger and Draciel- I can conquer the world of beyblading, dominate that smug Stanley Dickenson, and rule the whole beyblading world how I want it- Beyblading isn't a fun game, hell no!" He swung his arm dramatically. "It's a matter of life and death! And shoulder always be considered as that!"

"You're mad!" Kai exclaimed, his voice strained.

Boris shrugged, glancing briefly at the Blade Warriors then back at them. "Maybe. I can see by your faces you don't really get it, do you? What's been happening with Fern. Have you forgotten about her?"

Kenny scowled. "NEVER! How dare you say that!" Tyson held out his hand to stop his friend from launching forward, then stepped forward himself.

"Well? Don't boast, tell us! Where is she!?" The dragon exclaimed, anger draining from his mouth.

"The moment I realized how special Fern was- the plans changed from then on," His smile dropped, the Bladebreaker's faces raining in awe. Kai felt his stomach churn. "That's right. I've been planning this all along. The original plan was to order the Blade Warriors to take part in the American tournament with especially made beyblades which each contain a dose of Black Pele's power, face against the great Bladebreakers, take your bitbeasts then hand them to me. Of course, there was always going to be a chance that you won some of the battles; which you did, and this time I was prepared for it. Black Pele has another use other than power- and I needed backup. Grab the nearest sweet looking girl, use the power of Black Pele to force her into befriending you lot then taking the legendary bitbeasts in case the Blade Warriors failed-"

Tyson felt his blood run cold. "...No."

"Thus, the discovery of your beloved Fern. My, what a weird girl she is. For all the right reasons." He continued. "That night you met the girl- was the night she was supposed to take the blade. But you got in the way... so at one of your training sessions, I ordered the Blade Warriors to meet her then. Instead, Black Pele found out something very interesting indeed."

"You've been spying on us!?" Max cried.

Kai held his head. "Wait. I don't get it. I know..."

Boris smirked at Kai's bruised mind, his confusion inevitable. "You know, don't you, Kai?" Kai looked up, shocked. "I can see it within your eyes."

"Know what, you freak!?" Tyson yelled.

Boris shook his head. "Such bad manners. The bitbeast... Fern loves and needs. Trinity." Kai felt his heart collapse inside, his mouth drying. "To help with my little parade. To cause the ultimate destruction against the BBA. Oh sure, your bitbeasts being fed to Black Pele is one thing, but that combined with Trinity, oh, no one is going to be able to stop _me_."

"Trinity? What are you talking about!? Make sense!" Tyson angered.

"Black Pele survives on the souls of other bitbeasts, thus, _sucks_ them, enjoys the feed. Otherwise, she's nothing."

Kai felt his legs wobble, his skin crawl, his blood boil, the small goose pimples on his arms standing up and hurting so bad for a second, the whole world flashed before his eyes and the realization came to him as fast as he blinked. "No..." Attention rose onto him. "We've been had. All these lies- the Blade Warriors promising to keep Fern safe if we turned up here. It's all lies. And now you're going to drain Fern's soul too!? We have to save her!"

"Not Fern's soul. Trinity is only apart of it," Boris corrected casually.

Kai suddenly zipped past Boris, pushing him with such anger and force he fell to his knees, a startled cry reeling from his crippled mouth. "Where is she!?" Kai stood over Boris, his threatening face chilling and dark, is teeth clenched together. "TELL ME NOW!"

"Kai!" Tyson, Max and Kenny yelled together.

Kai turned to look at them, his red-hot face shocking them to no end. "I've just figured it out- Trust me, after all of this is over, you'll learn the truth. But you won't if we don't find Fern this minute. She'll be gone by the time we have any chance to ask questions."

For a second, the Bladebreakers looked at him blankly, unsure what to think any more. Then slowly, they all nodded, agreeing nonetheless of their oblivion. Kai was still leant over Boris, his fist close to his face. Kenny gasped. "Kai wait! Let's go look for her ourselves! This is just a waste of time!" Suddenly, a rumble from above caused them to look up. The ceiling was failing, the deadly battle between Tyson and Flint causing after shocks, and a giant rock came tumbling down.

Kai scowled and jumped out of the way, everyone's breath caught in their throats. "Argh!" The rubble slammed against one of Boris' legs, pinning it to the ground, a sharp pain splitting wildly up his leg.

Tyson couldn't suppress the smirk, and leant down beside Boris, eyes flashing vengefully. "Serves you right." Boris growled again in pain and the Blade Warriors called out their master's name, running towards him. Tyson stood up. "Let's go!"

Max ran to the door closest, pulling on the handle frantically only to end in vain. It was tightly shut, but falling apart, sharp splinters sticking out everywhere. "Nghhh! Guys help!" Kai let go of another door handle and went to help Max, and instead of pulling, began to push, ramming his shoulder against the door.

Tyson and Kenny went over to help, their faces desperate. "Fern may not have the time it takes to open this door!" Kai shouted. "Tyson, Kenny, help." Tyson nodded, his hands trembling slightly as together, they began to tear down the door, slamming into it. "Again!" Kai, Tyson, Max and Kenny sent another blow into the door, and to their delight, felt it loosen and the battered door swung open, revealing the room-

In the middle of the room was a lone chair, the person who had once sat in it lying on the floor, motionless. Kai felt his eyes widen inevitably, the beating of his heart throbbing. "FERN!"

Kenny let out a gasp, seeing the helpless female lying on her stomach, her red hair cascading down her back, appearing lifeless. Beside her, standing without spinning was a mysteriously glowing black and orange beyblade, flashing with such evil eager everyone felt physically sick, the cruel happiness lifting the room into a weird atmosphere.

Everyone immediately ran to Fern, Kai diving down beside her, an alarming feeling he had never felt before plunging him inside. "Ugh..." He carefully turned her around, gently removing her hair from over her shoulders and when her face was visible, they all gasped. Whiter than her usual pale face, her rosy cheeks were nothing but a cloud of grey. She looked like one of the fallen.

"Oh my god..." Tyson couldn't find his voice, didn't know what to do, what to say. "She looks like Ray..." Everyone was thinking it.

"What have they done to her.." Max cried, stunned. Kenny felt water brewing inside his eyes, a painful sensation drifting throughout him slowly.

Kai clutched his stomach with his free hand, whilst with the other held her, his arm around her neck and his cold, terrified eyes stared at her ghostly face, an agonizing feeling kicking him, emotions destroying him, making him weak, but angry, the heat within his eyes making them burn a delirious red. "..."

'Kai...' A voice rattled his head and he looked around sharply, a gasp of horror leaving his lips. 'We need your help.' The voice echoed again, but his mind was a blur, everything piling on top of him at once. 'It's Aquila here.'

Kai's eyes widened. 'A-Aquila... Fern.. you...'

'There is no time for that. Fern needs help.' Kai gulped then frailly began to listen, still unsure what was happening. 'The bitbeasts have been trying to heal her, but... Trinity is gone. She's left Fern's soul and because Fern was born with Trinity inside of her she needs Trinity to live. The only way to save Fern is defeat Black Pele and Trinity will return to Fern.'

"Kai, are you okay?" Tyson asked, and Kai looked up, seeing his team mates look concerned. "You look lost."

Suddenly Kai slowly rested Fern's head against the ground then stood up high, his face serious. "Listen to me- I know this makes no sense now but the only way to save Fern is defeat Black Pele. We need to work together."

Tyson squinted his eyes. "Fern sure has a lot of explaining to do. And so do you... But it's Fern's life right now. I'm in." He managed to smile weakly, his bruised body shaking slightly.

"Me too," Max said professionally, giving Kai the thumbs up.

"If it's a battle you want..." Startled, the Bladebreakers spun around to see Boris standing in the door way, holding the dish, his leg looking reasonably stable. Kai scowled.

"That's right!" He yelled. "You won't get away with this!" Boris chuckled. He walked further into the room and placed the dish in front of the team, then picked up Black Pele, for a moment his eyes twinkling in glee as he admired the shine.

"You fools have no chance. If you lose, Kai.. I get Dranzer, Draciel and Dragoon. Then I'll have them all," Boris sniggered, beginning to slide Black Pele onto a launcher.

Tyson's dark eyes cracked open. "So... it was you who took Driger. And.. you did that to Ray. This whole soul thing. You took Ray's..."

"Not me, Fern, really," Boris shot back, making Tyson growl out loud.

"But... how can Black Pele suck Fern's soul out if she's human? I thought you said Black Pele lives on bitbeasts souls. With Ray it just... vanished?" Tyson asked, unsure where his questions were flying from. As much as he hated it, he was slowly beginning to believe.

"Because part of Fern's soul is a bitbeast," Kai answered and Tyson's expression dropped, along with the others, but before they could say anything, he spoke again. "But Black Pele made her do that to Ray right? Is Black Pele some sort of manipulator?" Kai demanded to know, his arm flying out.

Boris frowned. "So you caught on eventually." Boris sprung into action and pointed the menacing beyblade at the dish, his eyes cold and merciless. "Come on then!" Tyson, Max and Kai exchanged glances then pointed their blades at the dish. Their determined faces reflected their emotions, strength blessing them mentally and physically.

"After everything... what you've done to Ray... to Fern. To us-!" Tyson shouted, his hands burning. "THIS IS IT! THEN LET IT RIP!" A blast of amazing power threw everyone off-guard when the dish shook, five hungry beyblades all in their own way causing a giant crack to slide down the dish, one blade in particular shaking the room like an earthquake. The wall behind them suddenly shattered, bricks diving to the ground.

Kenny fell to the floor, the floor beneath him moving madly. "Wah!"

Tyson's eyes grew wide. "W-Wha!? How can any blade be _that_ powerful?" He kept Dragoon away from Black Pele, as did Kai and Max, pulling to the defensive side.

Boris smirked. "All those yummy bitbeast spirits she's absorbed." The purple-haired man suddenly raised his arm dramatically, releasing a giant wind of light from Black Pele. "Let's end this in two seconds flat!" Frantic, Tyson, Kai and Max glanced at each other, the same solution dazzling throughout their eyes. They nodded at each other then turned back to the dish, their battling faces straining to release any energy they had left.

Boris narrowed his eyes when three bright lights emerged from each beyblade, dancing through the air like beautiful ballerinas, shaping into wild, legendary beasts. A smirked ripple across Boris' lips. "Oh my. You're making this too easy." All of a sudden a blazing, fiery light roared from the black and orange beyblade, flaring across the room and Tyson cried out in pain, a lone flame sinking into his skin.

"Black Pele... Super Nova!" The world around flashed in white. Hot, white fire, soaking so easily into the sky, flames so bright nothing could be seen any more. Kenny blocked his eyes, physically unable to open them, the blinding light enough to make him blind for life.

"I-It's..." Max began, trying to open his eyes to see but there was no hope; even when closed, the white light burnt his dreams, collapsing around him. "It's like the sun.."

Kai grimaced against the stinging his bare arms were enduring, the flames ripping away small amounts of his skin, burning him to a red-hot mess.

"What are we supposed to do?!" Tyson yelled, though he was barely heard- their sweating was powerfully invading their bodies, causing them to feel faint, their heads banging, a noise like sharp claws scraping down a chalk board grinding at them.

"ARGH!" Kai's cry caused everyone to gasp, their minds suddenly becoming aware- even though they were slipping, slowly, slowly into sleep... "NO!" Boris looked cross, their attempts to try and fight possibly the most powerful attack ever pathetic and useless. "I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS BORIS! I'LL GIVE UP MY EYESIGHT TO SAVE FERN!"

"Huh.." The three other Bladebreakers gestured towards the voice, not at all expecting such an outburst.

"WE CAN WORK TOGETHER GUYS!" Kai shouted and Tyson and Max held out their hands, searching. Successfully they found each other and held tightly, their grips radiating a perfect friendship. Max then felt around his other side, wincing against the heat but so determined to find Kai. Finally he found him, but despite Kai's slight hesitation, grabbed his hand tightly.

"Like you said Kai. We can work together. We'll use _all_ our strength. Even if it kills us," Said Max softly though loudly enough to hear, and to his surprise, he felt Kai squeeze back.

They heard Boris snigger, loud and heavy. "How sweet. Dream on."

From an unknown space, another binding weird coloured light, red, green and blue like a rainbow struck the force of the heat, waving the whiteness back out of their faces."GOOO ..." Each beyblader called out their own bitbeasts name as Boris watched in horror, the heat from his precious Black Pele slowly being pushed back over to his side, the dust clearing on theirs.

"WHAT THE-!" Boris stared up at the sight, his lips shaking in wrath. Up above the dish, holding on together strongly, Dragoon, Dranzer and Draciel were soaring together, their power merging into one big rainbow, sparks twinging from the clash.

Kenny finally uncovered his eyes, noticing things had dyed down- and his face fell into a happiness he never thought existed. The bond between the bitbeasts was just as strong between the team mates- and that's all it took. "Alright guys!" Black Pele was stressing angrily, her starved spirit in need of bitbeasts, licking her lips at the power set before her.

"GO NOW!" Boris yelled. The Bladebreakers stared in fright, Black Pele fishing out a greater force and a giant flame rippled through the air, slowly forming into a shape. A lady began to appear, her beauty so divine and glittering, for a second, they just had to stare. Long, marble black hair flowed smoothly down her chest and behind her, her perfect form set elite in fire all around, covering her body in powerful heat. She wore an orange dress and had dark, tanned skin- although the most distinctive attribute was her eyes- staring, orange, powdered eyes. So fine they were _almost_ as pretty as Fern's, Kai briefly thought.

"Now what.." Max cried, wiping his forehead free of sweat. "I don't think I can go on..." Max's eyes suddenly slid shut, his head bopping down.

Tyson and Kai's eyes fled open once again. "MAX!" Tyson slapped him, hard, a small squeak echoing from the blonde's lips. "Stay awake! We just need one more push!"

"I-I..." Max's eyes were black, obviously tired and out of breath. "I'm trying."

"Hahaha. Looks like it's over," Boris grinned. And with that, Black Pele swung for the bitbeasts, everything flashing through their eyes- When, out of nowhere, a dreamy pale light glowed from the enemy beyblade, a familiar noise making time seem as though it had stopped for a few minutes. Sparkling sounds roared into life, grasping hold of the air and emerging towards Black Pele, coming at her as fast as light.

Tyson, Kai, Max and Kenny watched, amazed, feeling totally overwhelmed. Covering over them, pasting power straight into Black Pele's wailing frame- a known white tiger stood triumphantly, ripping a hysterical battle cry from it's fluffy lips.

Mouths open, unable to come to terms with it, the next thing they shouted was all in happiness. "DRIGER!"

The roaring bitbeast shammed the woman's evil glare, destroyed her fiery flames; and Boris let rip an almighty cry, sounding as though he'd just been shot. Slowly, Black Pele began to wobble, the blade trying in vain to keep on spinning, but to no avail. The beyblade shattered into a million tiny pieces, each one flung around the room, a dying cry leaving the defeated female.

An unnatural red gleam hovered from the beyblade, splitting darkly into the air.

"What the hell's that!?" Tyson cried out and his face went white when the red glow slammed straight into Fern's body, releasing skies of stars around, flowing over her body. Max and Kenny gaped, their heads falling against each other's unknowingly. Kai's slight chuckle brought them to look at him suspiciously- to see him smiling.

"Trinity.." He whispered, closing his eyes.

Almost oblivious to them, but vitally at the back of their minds, the whole room was shaking, small stones and rocks tumbling down. It wasn't safe any more- they had to get out fast.

Boris fell to his knees, staring in such shock at what was left of his beloved beyblade, picking up the departed pieces and holding them in his hands, childish tears dribbling down his cheeks. Max quickly called back his beyblade and held it out, still stunned and so grateful, but managed to release the biggest smile ever that made Tyson and Kenny smile back. "Thank you, Driger..." Driger roared serenely, despite sounding very weak and in need of some rest, drifted slowly inside Max's blade.

"Now Fern!" Kai cried and Tyson nodded, ignoring Boris and running towards her, diving down by her side.

Kai used his hand to gently stable her neck, picking her head up from the ground. His eyes searched her face, hopeful for a second until he realized there had been no change, and his eyes fell into a lost hole, his heart suddenly racing. Absently his hand trailed softly through her thick, red hair, twirling the strands between his fingers. Her face was still white, showing no signs of life.

"Kai..." Max cried, staring down at her. "What's going on? I thought you said if we defeated Black Pele she'd be alright," He trailed off, glancing at his other team mates, tears in each of their eyes. "She's not waking Kai..."

_Without a soul. My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold._

Kai felt himself collapse, his head falling towards her face, pulling her closer, hugging her as strongly as the pain he felt in his empty heart. "What..." The Bladebreakers were shocked to hear Kai's voice sound frail and wobbly, as though he was dying in a pain he couldn't handle. Everyone stared at him, their faces white and full of fear. Suddenly, to their surprise, a lone tear dribbled onto Fern's face, falling from Kai's eye. "..am I supposed to do now?"

Max bit his bottom lip, trying to hold back the tears. His face screwed up and he gently put his hand on Kai's shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut when his tears finally won the battle. Absently, the sounds of tumbling rocks surrounded them, the ceiling creaking, trying to withhold falling.

Cold, but bright whispering echoed throughout Kai's head, bringing him to snap his eyes open. Gentle shrieks, slow voices, as though something was trying to push through his mind engrossed him, filling him with rasps, slowly clouding into one whole one.

"Our friend needs help,' A now bright, energetic noise corrupted his mind, suddenly feeling another person inside his head. 'Don't be alarmed. I'm... Trinity. I'm able to contact you through Dranzer.' Kai let out a small gasp, his head still burrowed in Fern's hair. 'There is still a way to save her, but you must listen to me.'

Kai felt his throat dry and he gulped, preparing himself to listen, despite his hurt, and once again closed his eyes as absently the Bladebreakers mourned over Fern, holding her cold hands. 'How...?' He managed to ask.

'First, let me tell you something about Fern that you need to know. She isn't dead, don't worry-' Kai felt his upcoming heartbeat thump tremendously. 'But... there is something Fern hasn't even told _you_ yet. You see, I am apart of Fern's soul so I control most of it. When Fern was a little girl, she needed to learn how to control the special energy, otherwise it could slip right out of her, and she would die. So I taught her to control it. I'm part of her life source- but Fern, the most caring person there ever is, discovered her energy could heal bitbeasts. But every time she healed a bitbeast, her energy slipped away. She's become very weak because of this, and if she continues to heal, then she'll probably die. She's lost too much of her energy already.

This is because... her special energy is made up of my energy combined with her soul, and because the soul is the most vital part of any human... losing it will bring stun, which is the state she is in now. If I hadn't been rescued by you, Fern would most definitely be dead. I thank you for saving her precious life.'

Kai's lips trembled, thoughts racing through his head. Everything was such a mess... Before he could say anything, Trinity spoke again.

'Aquila and Tien-Long have sacrificed all of their energy Fern had gave them and including their own to help her heal. But.. with the sad consequence Fern won't be able to speak to them again. Not until she passes away, anyway. Their energy was too low to stay as spirits, so they've gone back to their stars. Werex has also used some of her energy to help Fern, but, thankfully, not enough so Fern will lose Werex.' Kai felt another shot of pain run through him, stronger than ever. 'Master Kai.. there is only one way.'

_Until you find it there and lead it back home._

'How!?' Kai asked desperately.

'Fern isn't all spirit. She is a full human. And she needs human love. _Human_ breath.'

Kai opened his eyes, his whole body shaking. 'You mean... CPR?' He awaited Trinity's answer, but she didn't. She had left him to think about it alone, to make his own choice. He wanted to laugh at himself. Choice... choice!? There was no choice! Deep inside, he told himself, he _wanted_ to do this.

'To save...' He hesitated.

'To save the one you...' He heard Dranzer.

Kai suddenly shot up, causing everyone else to back up a little, their faces red from crying, distraught blackness within their low glowing orbs. He placed Fern down on the floor as lightly as a feather, looking slightly bewildered.

Kenny sniffed. "Kai?"

Kai glanced up across at all three, his expression for once, readable. He looked like he was in agony, like a part of him had been taken away. "Believe me, this is the only way to save her." Before Tyson, Max or Kenny could ask anything, their hearts caught in their throat when Kai slid his face towards Fern's, using his fingers to open her mouth. Taking a huge breath of air, he dived slowly against her lips, the gap closing, releasing his spirit into her.

_Breathe into me and make me real._

_Bring me to life._

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**Max: Oh yeah, you all remember chapter 15 right (probably not, it was so long ago) Well, the song is a reference to that chapter because it's played then. Angel Sakura does not own Bring Me To Life by Evanescence.**

**Yeah, thanks Max! So, I hoped you like.. teehee... don't worry if your confused, I get confused all the time. Next chapter will make it clear. So.. yeah XD 3 more to go harhar... Send a review please and you'll make me a very happy person!**


	32. Rise Above the Storm

**Well, here we go! Next chapter up.**

**Kenny: -blushes- I sure hope Fern will be okay.**

**--U Kenny, stop blushing and get on with it.**

**Kenny: I'm not! Ahem, so thank you wonderful readers and reviewers; unknown dark preistess, rebelmewpheonix, kaito142, FairyDyris, NyNyFiction, xvegas-on-acidx, Blue Fire Phoenix, AnimeGirl329(wow, thank you so much for **_**all**_** your reviews!) and kia himatari.**

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**Dance Like No One's Watching**

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**Chapter 32- Rise Above the Storm**

A pair of bright, dismayed green eyes pulled open, her voice gagging, coughing, waking to find someone stare down at her, looking extremely joyous.

Everything was a blur. Screams of excitement filled her ears, their voices sounding warily tired, almost as though everything that came out was strained and painful.

"Fern...? Fern...?" A voice bellowed through her, the amounts of stress piled upon her exhausting, and it was then she realized her whole body was hurting. A sort of bruised pain, a very run-down backache. Storms of confusion filled her though to her glee, her vision began to reappear. The fizzy picture stretched into a clear view, and there was, gazing down at her, someone she knew as Kai Hiwatari.

Her heart quickened. It was actually him- that boy, that person she knew the birds sang for. To her, he was...

She tried to scream; a fondness erupting from her, a happiness that she couldn't explain. But all that came from her mouth was a forced twang, and it was then she heard him tell her to rest. She trusted him. A belief washed through her body as she let her spent eyes fall back into sleep.

"Kai, she's gonna be alright!" Tyson beamed, watching as she fell to sleep. "Ugh.." He gripped his shoulder, a pain shooting through him. He'd pushed himself so hard in the battle he could feel himself on the verge of passing out, but kept himself alert, knowing it was just as important he kept conciousness.

Kai didn't speak. Of all the moments, of all the times he'd had the opportunity to do this but actually hadn't- he _gazed_ at her through sparkling orbs. Just watched her as she slept. There was no doubt about it now she would live- and that feeling, knowing this, gripped him. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed until now- the pure innocence that separated her from the rest of the team. As upbeat as she was, she was fragile.

He smiled.

"Kai!" Max's voice pulled him from his trail of thoughts, and as he continued to hold her, looked across at him. "We gotta go, quick! The place is-"

_Crash! _A tornado of dust fled everywhere, a large rock crushing the ground dangerously, sending alarms to fly through the Bladebreakers' minds. Hearts pounding, Tyson, Max and Kenny stared at Kai, waiting for his signal for what to do. Kai was pondering, as the world around them collapsed.

The phoenix stood up tall, Fern still cradling in his grip. "Be careful- we'll get out together." Everyone nodded, their faces white. Tyson went along side Kai and helped him with Fern, pulling one of her arms around his neck. "Let's move."

Kenny led the way, watching the roof carefully, making sure he didn't guide them into any more danger.

"What about me!?" Boris' voice called out to them. Kai spun, his gaze harsh and sharp. The man was lying on the floor, surrounded by rummaging rocks- it was only a matter of time before he got hit. The sheer terror that inflicted through his eyes almost made Max feel sorry for him- and he glanced up at Kai softly.

"Kai? We don't have a lot of time. What do we do?" Max asked. His team captain didn't flinch when Boris cried out, a small rock hitting him on the leg he hurt earlier. The hate boiling inside Kai's eyes was enough for them all to know his answer already- and it was probably the thing they should do. "But it's not the _right_ thing to do if we just leave him."

Finally Kai spoke, his voice cold. "We get Fern out first. Then we come back if we can." Max sighed. He supposed it was better than nothing. Although, the fury Kai shot towards Boris was understandable, and if it were _right_, he'd leave him.

A last whimper from Boris was heard before they literally raced from the room, the rumbling shaking their movements, causing jolts to spring up their bodies. They were back in the main room, and frantically, ran towards the exit, running past the Blade Warriors who were stood, still in shock. They looked pale and motionless.

As scared as they were, Kai's mind was only on one thing. 'Get Fern somewhere safe, make sure she's okay. I know... I hate Boris after everything he's done.' His fists clenched. 'But if I just leave him, if he dies in here- he won't be able to serve the time he deserves. The Blade Warriors, too.'

Light crumbled into the room, the icy outside only a few steps away. Kenny ran out first, adrenaline rushing through him. Kai and Tyson reached the door, the rocking room behind them falling to pieces.

"Black Pele..." Kai seemed to stall, the sudden outburst from Alex causing him to glance around. Absently, Max sped past him, joining Kenny safely outside. They stared at him in disbelief.

"Kai, come on, what are you doing!?" Max screeched.

Kai still stared at Alex. "She... had us all under control..." A gasp left Kai's lips. Alex was staring at the wall, his face still disregardful.

The sudden pant from Tyson caused Kai to bolt his attention onto him- and to his horror, watched helplessly as the teen slipped to the floor, his arm letting go of Fern. "TYSON!" Everyone shouted, the dragon losing his conciousness. The ground shook, making it unbelievably hard to reach him. Max and Kenny ran to him, their eyes wide, grabbing the boy before a pile of rubble could collide with him.

"GET HIM OUTSIDE NOW!" Kai ordered, having now to put Fern on his back. Max and Kenny complied, carrying the sleeping dragon out from the storm, the madness within beginning to fail. Loud crashes spurred through the room, fires beginning to form, blowing up into a huge mess.

Kai glanced at the Blade Warriors, desperately concerned. Everything was going to fall in a matter of minutes. It didn't matter for now what they had done; it was life and death, and their lives needed to be saved. Yet, he knew there was no chance, in order to survive themselves, they _had_ to leave them...

"Guys!" Kai spun back around, his mind a blur. Nothing couldn't be called ironic any more as an amazed Max and Kenny stared at a yellow miracle, sliding along the snow at a fast speed. Breaths caught in their throats. The relief they felt right now was never more readable against their tearful faces.

It was the yellow BBA bus, coming to rescue them.. finally. A quiet giggle left Max's lips, his happiness spreading around them.

"Mr. Dickenson..." Kenny cried, legs trembling in delight. None of them could believe it. They came. Everything was going to be okay, it just had to be, inevitably. The bus came to a speedy halt and immediately the door slid open, shouts from a crowd toppling through the bus.

"Boys!" Stanley Dickenson came racing from the bus, dressed in a suit, hat and scarf, looking heavenly under the dark, cloudy sky, along with a full team of BBA staff.

All they could do was stare for a moment. This moment, the most amazing second in time ever of seeing their escape come so easily didn't seem real.

"In all honesty I've never been so happy to see you!" Max cried and to his greater pleasure, Hilary and the White Tigers jumped from the bus, concern spread all over them.

"GUYS!"

"Oh my, Tyson!" Mr. Dickenson cried and ran to the fainted boy, taking him from Max and Kenny. "What on God's earth has been going on here?! Are you alright!?"

"Oh, Fern!" Mariah cried, catching sight of the girl collapsed on Kai's back.

"We'll explain everything later," Kai spoke suddenly, causing the newcomers to gasp in surprise. "The Blade Warriors are inside, along with... Boris. They need saving." He declared.

Mr. Dickenson gaped. "Boris Balkov?! He's _here_?!" He shook his head. "I can see the place is looking extremely severe so the explaining can wait. Everyone get on the bus and I'll send my BBA search team in." Everyone nodded and the White Tigers ran to Max and Kenny, walking with them to the bus.

Hilary waited for Kai to reach her. When he did, she gestured her head towards Fern, then smiled up at him, her brown eyes flashing knowingly. Kai simply looked at her softly then turned away, making his way to the bus.

The Bladebreakers got on first, then the White Tigers, and were greeted by mountains of medics, beginning to crowd around them like wasps. Fern was taken away by a female nurse to check her out, and thankfully they were informed Tyson was going to be fine.

Sitting at the back of the bus, Kai gazed out of the window at the snowy scene, feeling his eyes slipping. Every time they did, he snapped them open, too curious to fall asleep, wanting to watch the BBA staff drag out the Blade Warriors.

He once again felt his eyes close, beginning to sting, wanting to fall, wanting to glide closed... and he lost the fight. Comfortably, he fell to sleep, his head finally resting.

* * *

Sunlight shimmered through the blinds, spreading across the clean, furnished room. A somewhat strange, warm emotion slipped silently through Fern. The strong smell of light teased her eyes, absorbing though her, reaching her core, telling her to open her eyes...

Her body obeyed. Slowly, steadily, her eyes began to open hesitantly, afraid of what was going to greet her on the other side. Faces, all around, smiling, welcoming her back into their world. A deep gasp left her trembling lips, shooting up from her bed.

"Fern, you're awake!" Her instincts guided her to the voice- and they fell upon a blonde-haired boy, smiling brightly at her.

"Are you okay now?" Another voice asked and her head fled onto that one, seeing a brunette girl sat beside her.

"Oh my..." Fern blushed. All around, sat very concerned faces, glistening their gazes all on her. "T..T.." Tyson was sat on the other side, his arm rested on the bed, smirking at her. Everyone was there. She had to take a few seconds of her time to take it all in, the sight of her friends being around her; she couldn't bare it. Tyson, Kenny, Max, Lee, Mariah, Hilary, Kevin, Gary, Kai and... Once her eyes fell upon a certain Neko-Jin, they began to water. "Ray..."

The golden eyed boy smiled at her softly. "Hi, Fern..."

"RAY!" Her cry shook the room and immediately, pounced out of bed, despite the ringing pain wrapping around her entire body. Ray was taken aback when she dived towards him, locking her arms around his neck. The others watched in amusement, the scene rekindling their love for Fern they knew existed.

_This_ was the Fern they liked. Caring, kind Fern. Ray was still a little surprised, but found it in him to hug her back, so he slowly wrapped his arms around her, digging his head against her hair. "Fern..."

They continued to hug for a while until she pulled away from him, tears brewing in her eyes, but he continued to hold her waist. "I-I'm so sorry Ray! I'll always understand if you never forgive me, I know I was an idiot and I'm so sorry and oh Ray I just-" She was silenced by his chuckle. She looked up at him, surprised.

"Slow down, let me get a word in," Smiled Ray and she stopped, gulping. "I was filled in by the team. I know what happened."

"Driger!?"

"He's fine."

She felt reckless, her hands clasping his shoulders. "B-But Black Pele, the Blade Warriors! What happened? How am I here?"

This time, Tyson spoke, his grin lopsided. "We beat 'em- we beat 'em both."

Fern gagged. "Who!?"

"Their master, Boris," Max answered for her, a slight frown on his face. "You don't know him and I'm glad you don't."

"Boris.." She whispered to herself. "His name sounds familiar..."

"Oh, it is," Kenny smiled and joined in. "We can tell you what happened all in good time. But first- Fern... what _has _been going on?" Kenny spoke for the rest of them, and they all looked at her, demanding answers. Despite feeling awkward, she knew she owed them that much, to tell them _everything_...

Gary smiled. "Hurry, I'm hungry."

Mariah narrowed her eyes. "You pig!" She looked back at Fern friendly. "Take your time." Fern nodded, appreciating the gesture. Everyone watched as she slipped back onto her bed, sitting cross-legged. For a moment, she cast her glance onto Kai. It shocked her that the first thing she didn't think of when she woke up was him- but instead the desire to find out whether Ray was okay. But now, he was, and even though she knew the guilt would never slip away, she could rest it in her head. She suddenly blushed, his pretty gaze making her heart beat. Everyone was watching her, waiting for her to start.

"Okay, here I go. It may come as a bit of a shock.." And so, she filled them in on everything. As mad as it was, they all listened attentively, some things coming more to a shock than others; first she started off telling them about her past and gift, being able to talk to the bitbeasts, her soul, and how she was able to heal them through Trinity.

She couldn't help but cringe when seeing their faces drop into a pool of oblivion. Tyson looked like lunch time had just been cancelled, but none the less, carried on to tell them how everything linked with Black Pele. The manipulating, the meetings with them, _everything_.

Their faces seemed to swim with sympathy, which she didn't want. In her head, she knew she didn't deserve even a drop of it; for one, being so stupid as to not tell them about the Blade Warriors as soon as they started black mailing her. Finally mentioning the plan, to use her to take the bitbeasts for Boris, it wasn't so much a surprise for them as Boris had explained most of that, but even she wasn't sure what _exactly_ went on while she was knocked out.

As painful as it was, apologies still swarming from her mouth, she tried her best to explain about Ray. She couldn't get it through to them enough that it was never intended and spent most of her breath abusing herself for how stupid she was.

"..." Tyson's eyes were white. "Slap me someone, please!"

"..Uh, okay," Max stood up and slapped him, hard, sending his head flying to the side.

"OW! It's just a figure of speech!" He growled, rubbing his red cheek. Hilary and Mariah giggled. "But... woa, man! If we had any idea all that was going on Fern we could have helped you." Fern bowed her head, her eyebrows bent. She looked so ashamed, he just didn't have it in himself to lecture her. His face softened. "But, you were after all being manipulated mentally so I guess it's okay. I can't believe you... your..." He suddenly appeared quite nervous, pointing at her.

Fern looked up. "Yeah... sorry, I shouldn't have piled it all on you like this."

"So this Trinity then.." Everyone looked at Lee. "She's actually _your_ soul?"

Fern shook her head. "She's apart of it. I'm human, don't get me wrong. I just... possess some of her special energy, thus I can heal bitbeasts." Her face looked a little brighter. "Guys, thank you all for saving me. You all came for me. I don't deserve you."

Max grinned. "Oh, the real hero is Kai." Her green eyes widened. "He's the one who came for you. He saved you when we all thought you were gonna die."

"K...Kai..?" She briefly lost her voice, spinning her head around to look at the content teen, who was sat with his arms folded and head bowed, eyes closed. "How...?"

"CPR!" Tyson smirked, shooting a cheeky glance at Kai who didn't seem to flinch to his annoyance.

"CPR!?" Cried Fern, a beautiful rose blush crossing the bridge of her nose. A flutter of emotions sped inside her. Wow. Did Kai care for her? After everything that had happened, after that night they argued like crazy, then this. She didn't understand it. Just what _did_ he feel?

"Why are you blushing?" Hilary asked, giggling.

"I'm not!" Everyone laughed as she blushed even more, covering her cheeks with her palms. "S-So anyway what went on down there when I was knocked out? Where is this Boris now and the Blade Warriors and Black Pele, how did you beat her!?" She quickly changed the subject, but found as soon as she asked she generally did want to know. In fact, _dying_ to know.

Tyson leant back in his chair, placing his arms above his head. "The Blade Warriors left a note and told us if we didn't come for you then there would be consequences but if we brought our blades then you'd live. Of course that was all lies..." Fern looked confused.

Max picked up. "Yeah, so we went to rescue you without Kai, who was acting pretty weird at the time I gotta admit." He looked at Kai who's eyes were now open, staring at the blonde. "You seemed to know a lot about Fern, didn't you? How did you find out about what was going on then, anyway?"

Everyone glanced at Kai. "Ray spoke in his sleep and told me who it was who attacked him."

Fern felt stunned. A million questions she wanted to know raced through her, but decided it was best to ask when her and Kai were alone.

"I did...?" Ray bit his bottom lip, seeing Fern look apologetic again. He smiled at her. "I told you, don't worry about it."

"When we arrived Flint demanded a battle in return of your safety. As seen as Max didn't have Draciel at the time it was Tyson verse Flint," Kenny added, suddenly smiling to look at Kai. "When we thought all was lost Kai showed up and together they beat Flint. That's when Boris showed up and made a shocking revelation about what he planned to do- take the Bladebreakers' bitbeasts to feed to Black Pele, then destroy the BBA."

"FEED Black Pele?" Fern asked.

Tyson nodded. "That's right, she apparently lives on bit spirits. Probably why she was able to suck out Ray's soul except she couldn't absorb it."

"Uhm... so what happened next?"

"Well... it was pretty big," Max admitted. He rubbed the back of his head, looking at his friends for a moment, and when they nodded in agreement, Fern couldn't help but wonder. "Boris lied about everything- they never were going to let you go even if we battled. It was his intention all along to suck out Trinity and use her for destruction."

Fern gasped. "Suck out Trinity!? That..." Her voice lowered, water rising in her eyes. She felt like she'd just been kicked in the gut. "That bastard..."

Mariah nodded. "Terrible. We were all pretty shocked when we found out too. He's a psycho, I'm so glad he's been put back inside now."

The flaming haired girl still looked angry. "Good! So he's back in prison? What about the Blade Warriors?"

Tyson looked slightly reluctant. "They were let off with stupid frequent visits to the doctor. It turns out... Black Pele was partly messing with their heads too." Fern's eyes widened. "They wanted power and praise to start off with, but there was no guarantee they would definitely go along with his ruthless plans. That's why Boris told Black Pele to manipulate them too."

"However, there is speculation that Boris was also being manipulated; but now that Black Pele is destroyed, no one can say for sure. It'll just have to remain a mystery. Boris won't say anything. It seems he may be in shock from losing her, as sad as that is," Kenny added.

Fern scowled and shook her head. "Wow. I can't believe it..."

"Try being in our shoes," Max commented.

"I'm sorry," Fern looked upset. "Uhm..." She glanced around her momentarily, searching. "Do you guys know where Werex is?"

She saw Kenny grin. He reached into his pocket and like a treat for her eyes, he pulled out a black and ruby blade. "Here you go."

"Oh Kenny, you absolute star!" Fern smiled wildly, about to get out of bed again until he stood up and walked to her, placing Werex in her soft hands. She stared down at Werex for a moment, her green eyes glittering with happiness, then looked up at Kenny. "Thank you, thank you!"

"Hey, speaking of Werex, how about you tell us more about that cool new attack?" Hilary asked.

"Oh..." Fern looked taken aback. "Starless attack. Sure. There is something actually... The reason why Werex grows in power." She raised her eyebrows at their unmoved, smiling faces. "I'm guessing you already suspect, right?" Everyone nodded, minus Kai, who still had his eyes closed. A sigh escaped her. "The power... is my energy. As I said before, I can surpass my energy onto other bitbeasts to heal them but I figured I could use it for special attacks too. That's why it was so strong. But..."

"...But you shouldn't really, because when you lose your energy you increase the chance of death?" Fern gasped, the voice of Kai causing looks to turn to him. "I'm right, aren't I?" He opened his dazzling red eyes. "You don't have a clue what the bitbeasts have done to let you live another day, do you?"

"Kai, what you talking about?" Max asked. "Something you haven't told us?"

Fern stared at Kai, her eyes wide. How could he know this? _That _was supposed to stay between her, Werex, Trinity and the others, and such information was impossible to leak. For a second she had to search her head, coming up with possible answers. There was none. "How do you...?"

"There's something else you might want to know..." Kai said gently, his face suddenly turning soft. The Bladebreakers, White Tigers and Hilary caught the deep sentimental tension between the two, as their eyes clashed like a calm sea against each other.

Tyson narrowed his eyes. "Ohhh, I see." He stood up. "Let's go guys, let's leave these two be."

"Hey!?" Fern cried, everyone beginning to stand up, smirks on their faces. "That's not-"

"Good to see you, Fern!" Mariah smiled sweetly, walking from the room, followed by the rest of them.

"Bye!"

"Later!"

"Love you!" Tyson called out teasingly, waving like a manic. Fern stared at him sceptically, and suddenly there was a brace of silence in the room.

She rubbed the back of her head, blushing madly. "Eh heh heh. Those guys are such jokers huh?"

Kai didn't reply to that but stared at her seriously. "Trinity told me."

Fern had to repeat his words. "Trinity told me!? I mean, told you... wait, what!? She..." The girl bowed her head. 'Trinity...' She closed her eyes, thinking. That's how far everyone went to save her? Trinity contacting Kai was a really big thing- for one, it wasn't easy, and meant Dranzer had something to do with it as well. She reopened her orbs, her gaze on Kai. "I see..."

"And there's something else which might upset you," He said. She remained quiet, her blushing face fading. A sudden sickness lingered within her. "Trinity told me you had surpassed so much of your energy onto the bitbeasts that you were unable to stay concious. So, Aquila and Tien-Long gave you it back, under the unfortunate circumstance that you won't be able to speak to them again until death."

Fern's heart skipped a beat, her mouth draining dry, an emotion so extreme hitting her, inevitably, a tear slipped from her eye. Kai bit his bottom lip, feeling a little awkward. He didn't want to upset her but there was no other way to tell her. It appeared she wasn't going to take it easy, either...

"A..." Unable to bring herself to speak, she turned tremendously pale. It was like a heavy weight had just been been thrown on top her her. Mentally, she felt broken. Why did this have to happen? The frustrating fact was that it probably could have been avoided if she'd stopped the Blade Warriors sooner. For some reason, the only word that slipped out of her mouth shocked her to no end. "Kai..."

She looked at him, agonizing shock in her eyes. Slowly, he got up from his seat, now wandering over to her bed side. Her eyes followed his, emotions running wild, a feeling so painful it was enough for her to cry out in agony. But, Kai's constant gaze suppressed her urge.

"Just remember, Fern. Even if you had stopped everything earlier, if you had told us, there was still a price. Your life.." Fern gasped loudly. He appeared to struggle to start again, absently noting the huge breath he took. "If you had carried on healing bitbeasts then you would have... died. Of course it wasn't for the best and I'm not going to say that. Just understand that things change."

It escaped him where everything he said to her was coming from, but he knew, deep within his flickered caverns where all his secret thoughts lied, it was things he knew and wanted to say. His nerves were overthrowing him, slightly annoyed that he was feeling anxious for no particular reason, but letting it bother him wasn't an option. There were much more important things now, like realizing what he really did feel.

"I-I feel like I've let everyone down," Fern sulked, her head spinning. There was no doubt in her mind now that she despised Boris and always would, despite not properly meeting him. She clenched her fists, another tear falling, eyes squeezing shut. Now she realized. Her selfish actions were her fault, but Kai did have a point. Nothing lasts forever...

"You're forgetting something important," Kai said soothingly, earning himself another startled look from the upset girl. "Everyone falls sometime. But where does that lead you next? The only direction you can go after that is up. Rise. You'll see. It'll be alright."

"Oh, Kai..." Fern's lips trembled. What he had just said made sense to her, amazingly. Finally she felt a little hope clouding over her insecurity. Things seemed brighter, resilient. It was all because of _him_. "You amazing, amazing boy, I don't know what to say... you.. you kept your promise."

Kai's eyes widened just a notch.

A gentle smile spread across her face, finally erasing the tears. "You were my hero."

"It was something that had to be done, including saving my obnoxious team."

She giggled. "I guess that's all that matters now, right? I'm just another brave face..." A disheartened frown spread across her face. Kai really did feel for her, in a way he never expected. The _hate _he held for Boris was so strong, unbelievably. It crossed his mind that it was probably stronger than friendship. They always say love is stronger than hate. But was it really?

He could follow the thing he hated and do something about it, yet was unable to follow up the thing he liked so much... the word 'love' escaped him. It was an impossible word to him.

"No, that's not all. I apologise for my antics a few nights ago. I was agitated and worried about a lot of things, I took it out on you, and I'm sorry for that," His face dried. "You won't hear this often from me but I was scared- scared of..."

He paused. The red head stared at him, her heart racing. 'Scared of what Kai!? Scared of what!?' She begged him to finish, only in her head, but her thoughts reflected her face. His gaze caused her to blush again, now noticing his arms had unfolded and was stood rather sophisticated. He looked so wonderful.

"Kai..." She gulped, not once taking her eyes off him.

The unsurety in his eyes flashed at her like nothing brighter.

"When you were lying on the floor, almost dead... I didn't know what was happening," He paused, feeling his own heart racing. "Something inside me erupted like everything was already over. I got that exact same feeling when I heard from Ray what you did. I was so..." She listened attentively, her face rising on the brink of desperation. "...confused. But something kept me going. It was..."

Fern's eyes cried out. "But Kai, if you knew I did that to Ray then why did you come and rescue me? You must have thought I was a traitor." He stared at her, and to her complete a shock, a streak of desire shot through his crimson eyes.

"Because..." Kai hesitated. "Because, Fern... I..." A rattling pain blew him apart. Apart of him just wanted to explode and tell her something that baffled him and he had no idea where it came from, but all he knew was that it was there. And it wasn't deniable any more.

She felt her breath stop in her throat, unable to take another breath, her tranced eyes staring into his like a spot of star gazing. Her face boiled with blushing. This moment was now, and it was real.

"GUYS!" All of a sudden a booming voice disintegrated all that had been built up, the loud bang of the door swinging open causing their striking gazes to pull away from each other and dash to the door. It was Tyson. "Great news! The world championship is going ahead and it's being held in Japan. That means we can all stay at the Dojo."

Kai and Fern stared at him, looking pale and shocked. They hadn't been expecting anything to break the moment, but somehow, Fern found it in herself to gulp and grin. "Japan? Wow... that's so cool..." A sudden thought crossed her mind. Something Kai made her realize wouldn't leave her alone.

"You alright?" Asked Tyson.

Fern nodded. "I just need to think about something."

Tyson threw her a smile. "Oh, alright. Kai we should start packing." Kai nodded then stood up, sending the girl one last glance that made her heart skip a couple more beats. With that, he followed Tyson from the room.

Fern lowered her head, thoughts running through her. 'Japan... where my old team live...'

* * *

"Well, I guess this is goodbye America," Kevin smirked, holding his huge luggage case in his small hands. "Suppose we gotta go to Japan to cheer Ray on, right?"

Ray smiled. "Thanks, man."

"Hey, where's Fern? Our plane leaves soon and Grandpa's already headed there. He'll kill me if I'm late..." Tyson sighed.

"That young girl sure is a quirky one. However I'm sure she'll be a great addition to the team," Mr. Dickenson smiled.

"Huh? Fern? You okay?" Everyone spun around when hearing Kenny's concerned voice, and spotted Fern stood in the doorway with her suitcase, a thoughtful look on her face. "You are coming with us right?"

The girl nodded. "I am. But... there's something that I must do. A certain someone made me realize that nothing lasts forever," Even though she didn't look at Kai, he knew she was talking about him. "As seen as the tournament is being held in Japan that makes it a whole lot easier. I would like to visit my old team."

"Your old team?" Max repeated.

Hilary folded her arms. "You sure?"

Fern nodded again. "Quite sure. I made the big mistake of never visiting them out of fear they may have forgotten me. But after everything that's happened... if I only get this chance to see them again, then so be it. All I'm asking for is one last time, but if possible, a lot more."

Kenny bit his lip. "Would you consider... staying with them?"

"I-I don't know..." She answered quickly.

"Where abouts do they live in Japan?" Mr. Dickenson asked.

"A beautiful village called Asahidake Onsen in Hokkaido. My home town..." Fern trailed off, her usual pretty eyes glowing darkly; it didn't take a rocket scientist to work out she really did want this, badly.

To her complete surprise, a warm smile spread across Mr. Dickenson's lips. "Then it's settled. We'll fly to Asahidake Onsen and you can stay for a few days."

"HAHA ALRIGHT MR. D!"

"Nice one man!"

"Really!?" Fern cried, her pale face blushing red, hands clasping together. "Thank you so much sir!"

"So, that means we'll finally get to meet your team!" Tyson grinned, raising his fists as though triumphant. "Awesome!"

As the team celebrated to themselves, Kai stood silently against the wall. A faint, misty half-smile rippled across his lips. His eyes slid to a slow close. Finally, she was doing the right thing.

* * *

**Kenny: You know, Asahidake Onsen is a real village in Japan. I hope you guys liked it! So uhm... cool. Fern's team. Should be fun. I heard there was a girl on her team.**

**KENNY YOU PERVERT! -.- Ahem, yes. 2 chapters left! Please send me a review :) Sorry for the crappyness of this chapter.**


	33. Reunion

**Yo my homies! I can't believe it's nearing to the end. It's funny it's took me 2 years to get this done. -.- Jebus. So uhm.. Ray if you please.**

**Ray: Sweet! Thank you so much readers and reviewers (unknown dark preistess, rebelmewpheonix, kaito142, AnimeGirl329, kia himatari, Dying Today to Live Tomorrow, NyNyFiction and FairyDyris!) Oh! And I make a real big recommendation to the fic Secret Desires by NyNyFiction. It's awesome!!**

**Enjoy everyone!**

* * *

**Dance Like No One's Watching**

* * *

**Chapter 33- Reunion**

The silent, drifting sky was luminously blue, like heaven had come to visit the Earth. The sun was glaring only mildly, yet the atmosphere was warm and refreshing, the still grass and trees below resting along the bank. In between was a long, crystal-silver river, the celestial and heart-warming scene engrossing the watchers from above.

Fern was piled with so many different emotions already she didn't know what to do with them all. She could clearly play out all the times herself and her old team had fished along that river. Nervous and tense, she struggled with the argument to herself that this was all such a bad idea. 'But I know it's what I want to do. Can't turn back now...'

The plane landed in a not so far away area from the village, and before she knew it they were jetting off in the long grassy fields. Already she could see the high tops of the houses and she knew, just around the corner, was Raine's house.

"This place is real quiet," Tyson commented, finally making it to the much anticipated village.

Fern nodded and smiled. "I know, but that's why this village is a run away from all your problems." She paused and took a huge breath of air, as though trying to grasp the scent of the village. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Tyson wasn't sure what she meant, but there was no doubt about it she was right. It was divine, a very fragile village with endless trees and the smell of flowers surrounded them constantly. Everyone felt like they had stepped into another world. Compared to all the chaos that had happened earlier, this seemed like a fresh break.

"It sure is," Smiled Ray, closing his eyes. It kind of reminded him of his old village. Now that brought back memories he didn't and would never forget.

"So, should we find your team or something?" Hilary suggested.

"If they're anywhere they would be.. " All eyes hit Fern when she paused, looking to be thinking. Or maybe, hesitating. "...They'll be together. Unless I'm mistaken, but I so hope they haven't split up. I guess we could try the river again. I didn't see them there when we were flying over but there's a secret part we always used to go."

"Is the food good here?" Gary asked, and received a slight glare from Kevin.

The red head just giggled. "It's great, we can try some after I see my team." And so, Fern led the way towards the river, which ran directly through the heart of the village. The sights were amazing. Until now, none of them knew such a serene place existed. Underneath all the violence in the cities and crowds in the towns, there were still places like this that existed.

The river sparkled a silvery blue, the blue sky reflecting against it so clearly you could see straight through it. Kai glanced in it for a second, staring at his reflection. Fern was right. This place was beautiful. "Guys, in here," Fern's voice broke his contact with the river and looked across to see the team following her down a small path in between the trees.

Butterflies danced wildly through her. The weirdest, but most wonderful feeling erupted inside her, that her team were going to be there. There wasn't a day that didn't pass by when her team went to this spot, fishing in the river and having the best fun in her life. Would they really break that, without her there? The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and she held her collapsing stomach, moving the long reeds out of harm's way that blocked the way- and behind, would be that little place...

Everyone followed her out, and she abruptly stopped, causing a small pile up behind her. Her green, struck eyes were stopped on everything set before her. Her heart stopped. The first thing she saw and couldn't take in was the three backs she saw.

"Fern, you alright-" Tyson dived around her, though upon seeing three figures stood beside the river, did he realize his voice had brought them all to turn around.

Kai narrowed his eyes. There was one girl and two boys, staring horror-struck at Fern and the rest of them. He was unable to analyse them further, as all four of them gasped and the three launched forward, unable to believe their eyes.

"H-Hi..." Fern couldn't describe how she felt right now. The pathetic 'hi' that came out, after years of never seeing her team infuriated her. But it didn't show, only clear, hard upset sprinkled across her face. Was it a dream? Was this real? She had to mentally kick herself. 'Wake up, Fern, wake up...'

Awkwardness fell through her. They were so close now, examining her face and had expressions like they'd just been told someone had died. Their shock was expected but she wasn't entirely prepared for it, and suddenly she found her voice was lost.

"F-Fern!?" A tall girl with long, pinky ginger hair stared at her like she could see through her. Fern was amazed as she absently thought her best friend hadn't changed at all- she still had her funny, black pointy fringe. Her dark, pink eyes flashed against her, memories she knew of those eyes drifting back to her. 'Raine...'

"It never is, is it!?" Another voice blasted through her, this time rewinding like a rocket inside. Tall, handsome, just the way she remembered Zack. He hadn't changed much, either. His dark raven eyes gripped her, and his dark brown hair with black highlights spun against her eyes. She couldn't believe it- it was them.

Finally, the last familiar voice she hadn't heard in ages rose to her ears. "Wow. Is that really _you_!?" Little, annoying Taro. My, he had grown. Fern could remember him as a small, chirpy young fellow with no manners whatsoever. Nothing had changed, she so gladly thought. He had dark green hair and eyes, still as silky looking as ever.

A lone tear fell from one of her eyes, her lips trembling. "It's me. Fern... your old team mate."

"Oh my..." Taro was still staring in disbelief.

Slowly, much to her bewildered relief... a smile burned against Raine's lips. "I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Slightly taken aback, Raine exploded her arms around her neck, pulling the crying Fern close to her. The tightness that held their bodies together didn't matter to Fern that she was losing valuable oxygen, instead hugged her back, holding her just as tightly. If not, tighter.

Tears trickled down their faces, shouting random things at each other. Fern had never felt so wanted in her entire life.

The Bladebreakers, White Tigers and Hilary gazed on, smiling at the heartily scene before them. Some of them looked like they were about to set off too. Tyson rubbed his face, trying his best not to let anything fall. Max, Kenny and Hilary were all bawling, hugging each other, feeling so happy for the flaming haired werewolf. Ray and the White Tigers simply watched and smiled. It reminded them of their reunion some time ago.

Lastly, Kai stood with one hand on his hip and the other loosely trailing along his side. For once in his life, he just had to watch and admire. There was nothing better than a good old reunion.

* * *

"I still can't believe you're here..." Zack must have said for the hundredth time, looking at Fern.

Fern bit her bottom lip and smiled, completely ignoring the food in front of her. After much persuasion from the Dark Stars to have a picnic to have a good catch up, Tyson and Gary were all for it and egged her on. "It's a dream. I've got so much I want to tell you."

Taro grinned, greedily snatching a sandwich from the red and white checked cloth. Around the rather large, square picnic mat sat lots of hungry bladers. Fern was sat opposite Raine and Zack, while Ray, Mariah, Max and Kenny sat on one side, facing Kai, Tyson, Taro and Lee. Gary, Kevin and Hilary sat on the last side with Fern.

"Man, you were right when you said the food here is good..." Tyson laughed to himself, stuffing his face like a pig. The Dark Stars hadn't seen anything like it in their whole life. They watched, shocked, as the seemingly starved teams gobbled down everything so fast.

"Wow..." Raine blinked, gaping at Tyson.

Fern giggled. "Er, yeah, don't mind Tyson, he never gets fed. So you would think."

"You've certainly got a new interesting team," Taro smirked. "Eheheh. They're almost as cool as us."

Tyson glared at him. "Yeah right."

Raine laughed. "I can see they're going to get along just fine."

"Taro you haven't changed one bit. I remember when you used to eat heaps on purpose then dance like a crazed monkey at that yearly carnival. Anything to get a day of school..."

"Hey! Speaking of that carnival, it's on tomorrow! What are the chances, you should all stay over night and come!"

Fern and everyone grinned. "Oh yes! Guys, you'll love it I promise. We used to go every year and spend all our money on the great food there, then dance until it was all over."

Tyson smirked. "Great food huh? Sounds good."

"Yup!" Ray agreed.

"So, tell us more about your team then," Zack suggested.

Fern nodded. "All right. Let's see. Kenny," She grinned, pointing at him. "...is a complete beyblade genius. He's so cool and I love listening to his little lectures."

"Is that why you fell asleep while he was telling you about the statue of liberty?" Max giggled. Everyone laughed and Kenny blushed.

"Actually, I fell asleep _afterwards,_" The red head corrected. She heard Max mutter 'yeah right' under his breath playfully, but she simply smiled and carried on. "Maxie is great. The thing I love most about him is his blonde hair. Don't you just wonder Raine, how he gets it so soft?"

Raine leant over and ran her hand through it. The softness surprised her and she quickly pulled back, gasping hysterically. "What do you use!?"

Max smiled and blushed. "Uh... I don't know. This stuff my dad buys but when I stay at my mom's I have to use this really smelly orange stuff that _stinks._ I guess I could give you some."

Raine's eyes lit up. "Yes please!"

Fern laughed. "The quiet mister over there is Kai. He's awesome and my hero!" She giggled to herself while the others grinned at Kai, who didn't say anything in return.

"Andddd of course Ray. I don't know what to say about Ray except he's so cute. I want his teeth so badly and I can't stress enough how much I love him." Ray's golden eyes widened and he turned into a lovely, big tomato, and adding to that was Mariah's laughter.

"Oh stop embarrassing them!" Lee laughed, his claws digging into the grass as he struggled to stay balanced from chuckling so much.

"Oh great, what's she gonna say about me.." Tyson sighed, glancing nervously at her. She looked like she was up to something. He'd learned never to trust that smirk, ever since she had him dress in drag.

"Tyson is... unique, and loud. Very loud. But he's such a lovely person and he looks great as a girl." Fern grinned evilly at the ready-to-die looking teen, obviously hoping she'd never bring that up. Laughs filled the air, and even Kai had to snigger at that one- how could anyone ever forget the look on Tyson's face when he saw what he looked like. Scarred and terrified, and he actually suited the clothes too.

"Man, I ain't ever gonna live this one down," He groaned, hiding his red face with his arms whilst chewing absently on a bread stick.

"You're kidding me? That poor boy _dressed_ as a girl?" Zack asked, slightly bemused. The thought itself was scary; he wouldn't be caught dead in any sorts of female clothing, even if it was unisex. Definitely not his thing. "Was it a dare or something?"

"Yeah, it was so hilarious. Tyson proved any boy could look pretty as a girl-" Ray began, joining in teasing Tyson, until the flustered teen cut him off.

"-Rayyyy that's _so_ low, how could you say that!? Imagine if my fan girls found out then I'd be the laughing stock of the world!" He continued to bury his face in embarrassment.

"Awwww, is big world champion Tyson shy?" Hilary sang mockingly then scoffed. "As if you have any fan girls anyway."

Lee slammed his hand against Tyson's back, patting him so hard Tyson leapt up in a daze. "There there Tyson, you don't need to lie to us about having fan girls. We understand."

"Yeah. Real funny," Tyson snapped quickly. His eyes widened when Raine's pretty face lit up cunningly, her eyes flashing like a vicious fox. What was it with girls and scary faces? Hilary was pretty scary when she wanted to be, so was Fern, and even Mariah had some strange aggression about her. Even this Raine girl...

"Hey girls..." Fern, Hilary and Mariah looked across at the shimmering girl. The boys all gulped, Tyson the most, who could only sit back and listen to the rough beating of his heart. Slowly, a flock of stunned faces appeared when Raine fished into her pocket and brought out something so evil Tyson grunted. It was red lipstick, and when she began to unscrew the top, he felt his pride slide away into his soul.

All the female's eyes widened and glowed mysteriously, looking as though they were ready to kill. "How strange," Mariah smiled cheekily, drowning her hand into her backpack. "I was contemplating whether to bring any make-up or not or just borrow Hilary's. Funnily enough I decided to bring some despite Hilary having some too."

Eyes struck frightfully on the bundles of bottles and boxes that Mariah held in her hand. Hilary smirked and followed suit, reaching into her handbag and pulling out a pretty selection of rainbow eye shadows.

"W-Where are you guys g-going with this?" Tyson stuttered in disbelief, his jaw dropped.

Raine scowled. "Do we look like guys to you!? Ohhh that's it-"

"Uh no! No!!" Tyson cried frantically. "Of course not! You look like a girl I promise! So feminine and... pretty..." He mumbled the last part, trying to negotiate, but it was all in vain when the deathly-looking female pounced towards him.

"Get him girls!" Tyson couldn't stop to think when a quick glance was exchanged between the girls and they all nodded, Mariah throwing Fern a box of something that made the boy's faces dry. The girls crowded around him, and he wasn't sure who and it didn't really matter, but one of them pushed him down onto grass and he hit it hard, his screams muffled when Fern grabbed a hold of his cheeks.

"Oh my..." Kenny didn't know whether to burst into laughter or help his friend, but just for his own safety, decided not to interfere.

"That's barbaric! You can't do that to a guy!" Zack cried.

Raine spun her head around and when he saw the total evilness in her eyes, he gulped and backed down, not wanting to suffer the same fate.

"No pleaseeeee don't do this I'm begging you PLEASE!" Tyson cried underneath the bunch of girls, his arms flailing about in a attempt to escape, though failed miserably; there were just too many of them. Raine sat on his legs and Mariah held down one arm, Hilary the other, and Fern held his head straight as Raine dived down and began artistically covering his lips in lipstick.

"Stay still you little-" Raine pouted. Tyson kept his mouth purposely closed, keeping his lips tightly inside, twisting his head from side to side. Fern tried her best to keep him still, unable to keep back her laughter and all the while this was happening, the rest of the teams couldn't bring themselves to do anything but watch the show. Kai couldn't contain his amusement and chuckled softly to himself in a rather mockingly way.

Mariah gripped his arm tighter, so much that it hurt and finally his mouth pulled open in a yell. Having this chance, Raine successfully blotted a stroke of lipstick on him to which he grimaced to, tears of humiliation in his eyes. "EGH! Get the hell off me! Guys aren't supposed to wear this crap!"

"Ohhhh," The girls laughed and sang together, causing him to blush.

"Noooooooo!" He yelled when Hilary began to start on his eyes. "Get the alien witch off me please! Ray, Kai! Help!" He immediately regretted calling her such things when she scowled at him and began to pour more stuff onto him harshly. Finally, Fern opened the small box in her hands and as Mariah held his face, the red head dabbed bright pink blusher all over his cheeks. Tyson yelped and again vainly tried to get away. "I'm gonna steal all your dollies after this!"

Hilary scoffed. "Dollies? Is that the best you can come up with?"

"Sadly, yeah... SADISTICS!" Tyson began to blubber and closed his eyes, feeling his blazing cheeks flaring even hotter. To his great, great relief, the grips on his arms released and Raine removed herself from his legs. They sat back and smirked across at the other boys, who all looked painfully scarred but highly amused.

"Doesn't Tyson look SO pwetty!?" Fern giggled, staring at his traumatized face. He slowly sat up, revealing his newly-done face to a set of very entertained boys.

Laughs burst from their mouths. Max pointed and stared at him wide-eyed, unable to get over Tyson's priceless expression. "Tyson! Oh my gosh. You could win Miss Japan!"

Tyson folded his arms and huffed, his bottom lip pouting unimpressed. He couldn't believe they were all laughing at him, even Kai was! The nerve. There he was laughing at him when he had two freaking blue stripes on either cheek.

"Remind me never to get on the bad side of girls.." Taro gulped, though was continuously laughing. He hadn't ever seen anything so funny. More the fact was that he actually looked _good. _Bright red lipstick, thick blue and purple eye shadow and a huge amount of blusher made him look like a clown almost.

"I don't know why you're laughing Kai," Fern stopped the phoenix from laughing and looked curiously nervous. "You're next!"

"HAHA!" Tyson laughed and pointed.

Kai actually felt nervous. Then again why should he? As if she was ever going be able to pin him down- any of them, in fact. If all the girls tried anything of the sort he wouldn't hesitate to use force. He hid his insecurity pretty well, or so he thought. As his crimson eyes gazed into Fern's green orbs, the soft but cheeky smile on her face causing a half smile to appear on his, from the corner of his eyes, he caught Zack's grin spreading wider and wider, his black eyes flashing in recognition.

Immediately he dropped his smile and folded his arms, his gaze glittering cold.

"Aha," Fern rubbed the back of her head. "I'm just kidding, Kai."

"Ah man! Why not!? Everyone else has had their show, what about mine!?" Tyson argued.

Raine bit her bottom lip. To his surprise, she reached and grabbed for the last piece of chocolate cake. She smiled and held it out to him. "Here, you have the last piece."

"Ohhhh thanks!" Tyson grinned and took it from her, slobbering into it already.

Everyone sweat dropped.

"Oh boy.." Lee sighed.

* * *

"It's really sad to hear the team split up, Zack... but why?" Fern asked, gazing at the dark-haired teen who didn't once look at her.

It was mad, really. Just earlier she would have never of guessed the team didn't beyblade any more; they acted and looked like a team, but all it was was a cover of friendship. When she filled in her old team about everything that had happened, Zack demanded they go for a little walk together, just the two of them.

That's when he told her, and it was still hitting her hard.

"What do you mean, 'why'? Why do you think? Because you left..." He trailed off and earned a gasp from the girl's lips.

"Zack...?"

"There was no team without you. Same goes for everyone else, too. The Dark Stars were four people, not three," He reasoned, absently listening to his footsteps in the long grass. They had wandered into a small tree-crowded area, but the sun still managed to shine down on them.

"Oh Zack. I'm so sorry," Fern sounded upset. He looked at her, surprised. A small smile fell across his lips.

"Doesn't matter. Now you're back, we can rekindle and form the team again. Wouldn't that be great?" His words stunned her. Everything he said was like a wild fantasy she'd never thought she'd hear again- they'd all been so nice to her even though she hadn't seen them for two and a bit years, and they weren't even mad at her.

It was like old times. The good old times.

Her face brightened to no end. "Join you!? You'd take me back? Oh wow.. you know I'd love to. It's what I want more than anything else in the whole world. But..." She paused, looking slightly disheartened.

"The Bladebreakers," Zack answered for her, and it was then he stopped, turning around to look at her.

"No one compares to you, but no one compares to them, either. I don't know what to do..." She suddenly felt so lost.

"Come on, Fern. When I first saw you today I couldn't believe my eyes. You've grown up so much, and.. it would be nice to reunite the team at this point. And what you told us about your near death... it scared me. We're all gonna be stars, right?" Zack smiled at her, his black eyes flaring hopefully. Her eyes widened. The last thing he said reawakened a memory that she'd forgot about during the past few days.

_"We can be called Stars because we're all going to be stars, aren't we Fern?"_

Those were the words of young Zack. A promise she made to them blew her mind apart, and she wasn't going to let them down. Fulfilling her promise was her main priority.

"You know I really want you to come back to us, but it's your choice. And... the deepness of your relationship with the Bladebreakers isn't the only reason, right?" Zack spoke as though he already knew.

"What do you mean?" Fern questioned.

"A certain someone you might miss if you stay with us," He said it with such knowledge Fern had to blink.

She knew who he was talking about. 'Kai...'

"B-But how do you know?" Fern wondered, placing her hand on his shoulder. Was it _that _obvious? "How could you know?"

Zack smiled. "It doesn't take a genius to see the connection. When you were joking with him earlier, I'd never seen your eyes burn so bright. I saw it within him, too. But he looked so unsure..."

Fern gaped at him. "Z-Zack, how could you get it so right?" Her stunned face told him he hadn't missed a thing- and the rosy blush on her face proved it all.

* * *

Fern closed her eyes, leaning against the tall, bushy tree. The moon hung above her, it's beautiful white rays shining down on her like she was purposely picked for the spotlight. As peaceful as she looked, her mind was ongoing a ravaging war. She'd never faced such a tough decision before in her whole life, and thinking about it made her want to cry. Even though she didn't want to think about it, she knew she had to, to make her choice.

'What do I do!? Ugh!... Kai or my team... Kai or my team... Why is it so goddamn hard!?' She cried to herself, using her hand to cup her chin. Just then, she smacked herself in the face. It was all too much, but she needed more time. The real question was how much of her heart did Kai take up, and how much of her heart did the Dark Stars take. At the moment, it seemed to be equal. 'But... even if I did stay with Kai, after everything that's happened, would a relationship work? Is that even what he wants...'

'Ask him,' Werex entered her mind, feeling the girl's pain. The wolf couldn't shake away the feeling more heartbreak was yet to come.

* * *

"Where's Fern?" Asked Max as Ray entered the room. Raine had suggested they all stayed at her place, and set up a row of futons for them all. The house was really nice, having bright brown varnished walls and pretty murals all over Raine had drew. She had quite the artistic hand.

Everyone apart from Fern sat in a circle. Ray shook his head, "I found her but she wants to be alone. It seems she has a lot on her mind." He sat down next to Max.

Tyson stretched his arms lazily and made the hugest yawn ever, causing attention to fall onto him. "Why don't we play a game? How about truth or dare? I want to get my own back on some certain people..."

Mariah giggled. "Sounds fun." Kai rolled his eyes but didn't get up to walk away- he supposed sitting back and watching would be entertaining at the least.

"Let me start!" Tyson's eyes flashed playfully. Strangely, everyone got the feeling he wasn't going to go easy on any of them. "Ray- truth or dare?"

Ray bit his bottom lip. Feeling brave, he cursed himself afterwards when, "Dare," Slipped through his lips.

The blue dragon rubbed his hands in glee. "Ohhhh. Okay, Ray... I dare _you_to kiss Mariah!" Max burst out laughing and Lee glared furiously at Tyson, all the while Ray gasped loudly and blushed as red as a tomato. Mariah looked pretty shocked too, but it didn't really bother her. "If you don't, then you gotta forfeit, and you get an even worse dare to do."

"Tyson..." Ray moaned, looking across nervously at the blushing pink-haired girl. He sighed. If he didn't do this then he'd regret it and would probably be called a chicken for the rest of his life by Tyson. "Cheek or lips?"

"Either. If you choose lips, then you gotta stay there for five seconds. Cheek, ten seconds."

Zack and Taro watched on in amusement, and even Kenny was blushing which made everyone raise a few eyebrows. Kai had his eyes closed, and Tyson pitied him for missing everything. Ray shifted silently over to Mariah, wanting to kill Tyson for his embarrassment.

"Heh heh," Kevin was chuckling, but received a harsh glare from Lee which shut him up. Almost forceful, Ray just wanted to get it over with and so planted his lips onto Mariah's pink one's, and everyone's mouth dropped open. They didn't half expect him to go for the lips, but they weren't complaining. She tasted so good, of sweet bubblegum and even she couldn't help but enjoy it; he was really hot.

"Times up guys!" Tyson smirked, and immediately the two pulled away. They looked a bit disappointed, but were both flushing madly, unable to keep eye contact. Ray slithered back to his place and scowled at Tyson. "Hahahaha."

"Just you wait, Tyson..." Ray threatened. "I'm next." He finally got over blushing and began to ponder. "Truth or dare Raine?"

"Dare," She smirked.

Ray's eyes glistened and Tyson thought he was going to say his name. "...Kiss Max."

"WHA!?" Tyson yelled.

"What!?" Raine cried.

"Huh?" Max blushed and gazed at the girl. "That was unexpected..."

Ray smiled. "It was worth it just to see Tyson's face."

Taro laughed out loud. "Raine this'll be your first kiss GAHAHAHA!"

Raine snarled at him and hit him over the head. "SHUT IT!" Taro squealed and held his throbbing head. She sighed, staring at the nervous looking blonde. "Alright, alright... I'll do it on the cheek!"

"For ten seconds," Tyson added, smirking.

Raine rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah." Letting a sigh leave her lips, she was lucky she didn't have to move very far because he was sat right next to her. Blushing, she leant over and closed the gap between their faces. His cheek was really quite warm. After ten seconds she gladly counted herself she pulled away and smiled shyly, looking at Max's flushed face. "Ten seconds, done."

She turned back and faced everyone who looked like they were all gagging for more excitement. "My turn! Alright, let's see... truth or dare Taro?"

The mischievous boy licked his lips. "Dare."

The girl glared evilly at him. Why didn't he like the look of that face? "Kiss... KENNY!" All mouths dropped open.

"WHATTTTTT? YOU'RE NOT SERIOUS!? What's with all the KISSING dares!?" Taro yelled in disbelief. Tyson and the others couldn't help it; they all burst out laughing when they saw Kenny's face dry white. "No friggin' way! Absolutely not not not not not not not! Psycho!"

"Then you'll have to forfeit!" Raine shot back.

"Do the dare do the dare do the dare," Tyson begged, his eyes wide and full of humour. This game was just getting better and better.

"If you don't do it then you have to kiss every single girl in the room, apart from _me_, on the lips and you gotta tongue them all!" Raine smirked. All the girls dropped their jaws. Suddenly they really wanted him to do the dare. "Come on Taro, you're supposed to be the daredevil around these parts."

Taro bit his bottom lip. He'd probably endure a lot of beatings from every girl in the room if he kissed them and the chances of Kenny beating him up were nil- he probably couldn't even beat up a fly. His head dropped. "Oh, fine then! But this is only because the great Taro does not back down on _any_ challenge. On the cheek, five seconds, no more!"

"Oh my gosh.." Kenny cried, appearing painfully scarred already. The laughter in the whole room wasn't helping, either. He couldn't believe this was actually going to happen, and there was nothing he could do about it. Taro squeezed his eyes shut and pounced down beside Kenny, feeling sick already.

Unable to comprehend what he was about to do, the desperate faces of the teams was off-putting, yet he didn't want to be named a back-out. In a matter of seconds he felt his lips touch Kenny's cheek and immediately wanted to throw. His lips only just touched, and once the five seconds were up, he was out of there.

Hilary rubbed her eyes. The chief actually looked like he was about to die which was worrying. Taro quickly pulled apart and followed was a roar of laughter in the room. "YUCKY YUCKY!" He stuck out his tongue and rubbed it, trying to erase the taste of Kenny.

"I _cannot_ come around to the fact that he actually did it!" Cried Zack, amused. Kenny as blushing frantically, rubbing his cheek to no end.

Tyson playfully nudged Kenny. "Now that was funny. Was it good?"

Kenny roared in his face. "What do you think!?"

"ERGH! No offence Kenny but I'm really freaked out now!" Taro groaned, earning himself a slap on the back from Zack. "How do girls _kiss_ boys? They're disgusting!"

Hilary sniggered. "All depends who it is."

"Speaking of girls, I'm getting a little worried about Fern," Ray cut in, abruptly changing the subject. "What's wrong with her?"

Zack bit his lip. "It's probably my fault." Everyone stared at him in wonder. "I asked her to stay here with us." Raine and Taro were shocked, but it wasn't that they didn't want it. Of course they wanted her to stay, but how would the Bladebreakers take it? "You see, Fern and I go way back. She made a promise to us and we want it kept, as a sign of our friendship. So we can stay with each other forever even in death..."

Mariah raised her eyes brows and even Kai managed to open an eye. "What do you mean?" She asked.

Raine looked at her blankly. "You mean Fern hasn't told you? About her star theory?"

This time, Kai spoke. "Her what?"

The Dark Stars exchanged glances and gave Zack the nod. "Fern... as you know, is very different from everyone else. When we were kids, she told us about her star theory... about her coming back as a star after death."

Tyson's eyes widened. "What...?"

"Trinity is a star, isn't she? She was born from the gas. When Fern's father died he returned to the star because of Trinity being his soul and all. Fern believes that when her death comes, she'll come back as a star. As a sign of friendship, she promised we could visit her, and even become stars of our own eventually to join her up there." Zack sighed and paused. "It took us a while to come around to the idea too."

Kai was overwhelmed with a feeling he was unsure about. All this talk about stars and death, it was strange at the least, but also like an eye-opener- he clenched his fist and gripped something in his pocket. He needed to talk to her, now. If she stayed here then...

For some reason, Hilary couldn't help but grin. "That girl is just full of surprises. Life's never boring with her around. It's rather sweet, actually, coming back as a star and stuff. She's weird to the extreme, probably why Kai likes her."

Kai's eyes widened with the sudden skip of his heartbeat, though narrowed them again seconds later, determined not to let any emotion show. He didn't like the fact that everyone was grinning manically. "Heh heh. Kai and Fern, sitting in a tree-" Tyson began.

"They'll be so cute together!" Mariah agreed, squealing almost.

"Haha, leave him alone, he's looks as stiff as a board," Lee laughed, lending Kai a helping hand.

For some reason, this teasing reminded him of something which even he was surprised he remembered- all this talk about Fern, and that thing she said to him that night about a 'love letter'.  
_  
Fern looked at him through dreary eyes. " I wondered when you were finally going to admit it. So.. the letter was from you after all huh?"_

_Kai looked at her sceptically. "What letter?"_

_"Don't pretend, you know! The love letter you sent me. 'When I first met you, I thought you were a fallen angel' right?" Fern smirked, taking an amusement in seeing Kai pull an innocent face._

Never in his life had he sent a love letter and he wanted this putting straight, the weakness of it making him even more curious as to who actually sent it. "Knock it off. So which one of you clowns sent Fern a love letter, then?" He watched in wonder when all faces brightened up.

Tyson laughed hysterically. "Love letter!? You sure it wasn't you who wrote it in your sleep or something?" The unimpressed narrowing of Kai's eyes told Tyson obviously not, and everyone looked around at each other, sceptical.

"She mentioned it to me. Obviously someone is playing games here..." Kai stared every single person in the room out. A quiet, whimpering sound was coming from his right, and when he looked over his face faulted to no end. Kenny sat blushing like a boiled rose petal, smirking nervously.

"_Chief? _It was _you_?" Max couldn't get over this. It was plain obvious by the look on Kenny's face- and suddenly he yelped, causing the whole room to pounce into a fit of giggles, minus Kai who wasn't the least bit amused.

"OH KENNY YOU LOVER BOY!" Tyson yelled and grinned, slapping his friend hard on the back. Before Kenny could speak to deny the claims, Tyson saw it coming. "And don't you try to deny it, it's written all over your face."

"Man, Kenny..." Ray smirked.

"That's so sweet!" Hilary added.

Kenny groaned, never feeling so embarrassed in his life. This was turning out to be one of the worst days ever.

As the teams teased Kenny, Kai couldn't shake off the thought of Fern leaving. No one much noticed when he stood up, and wandered from the room with his head hung pretty low. It was like losing her all over again.

* * *

**Ray: Well, that's it! Next chapter will be the last, so please review and tell Angel Sakura what you thought! **


	34. The Last Dance

**Well, this is it! Last chapter, and I mean last XD (Rather glad actually) So, Kai, if you'll be ever so kind and thank every single person that has reviewed. Yes. Each and every one.**

**Kai: ... -mumbles something- All right guys, to every person who has read or reviewed, I thank you. Just to show how much Angel Sakura means this, she's took her time to list everyone. Or rather I have. Pff. So, in no order, reading from down the list;**

**Kai-Hiwatari-Lover, NyNyFiction, Dying Today to Live Tomorrow, FairyDyris, kaito142, AnimeGirl329, rebelmewphoenix, unknown dark preistess, kia himatari, xvegas-on-acidx, Valinor's Twilight, see-no-evil-san, Greywolf09, wolf-shadow666, cheer-dynasty-cheerleader, blackwolf006, shadowphoenix10, Gackts Sanura, DemonCurse, Thegoldenlock, TsukiKishuko, SpiritualEnergy, Sakkuyamon, sakura lover, Shadow of Existence, My-Crimson-Tears, SasuSaku Fan No.1, YinYangWhiteTiger, kaillinne arami, Amongst-Azarath, Ayane Kazaragi, jobelle, Oni no Faraz, lil' goth, ILoveAnime89, snowkitty11, Psyco Anime Luver, Spirit Of Innocence, Hibiki-Chan, crystaldrops, sonora avilon, PureBlackRaven, Kathleen-Chan, Sugar911, Fade to Blue, chocolateriku, SweetPlum, angel0fdestiny, AkkiTenshi, TaraLynn, The Bunnies Will Kill Us All, twin1, darkmagiciangirl18, LoneWolf530, akkiangel, Chibi Fye, Zephyr Blue, Hiwatari-Angel-15, SugaDiamond, SilverGhostKitsune, beybladequeen89 and the perfect oasis.**

**(You don't know how long that took me... -.-) Wow. I don't know what to say except I love you all. Sorry if I missed someone, there's bound to be some mistakes in there. Just give me a buzz and I'll add ya! Okay, enjoy the last chapter! I don't own Song My Immortal by Evanescence.**

* * *

**Dance Like No One's Watching**

* * *

**Chapter 34- The Last Dance**

Kai made his way down to the river, expecting, or rather hoping Fern would be there. There was no objection to seeing her in his mind any more- it just drifted away all the while something else captured him. It was her, always her, stealing his thoughts.

Just as his dark crimson eyes caught a girl sat along the bank, looking painfully under pressure, the moon came into sight and slung down onto him, causing him to have to block his eyes for a moment. He looked up, surprised. Damn, that _was_ bright.

He blinked and almost inevitably, his chain of pointless thoughts vanished when her head turned to look at him.

"Kai!?" Fern jumped up immediately, her green eyes wide. "What are _you_ doing here?" When his face turned a little sour, she realized just how hard she had said it; she did want him here. Just, not right now. She'd stupidly been crying and him seeing her like this wasn't dignifying.

He didn't say anything, which gave her the chance to correct herself. She rubbed her eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Uhm... I was just surprised to see you here. I was just thinking about you."

Kai didn't move and continued to stare, his gaze slightly frosty. Then, he spoke up. "Yeah, I know." Fern raised an eyebrow. "Zack said you might be staying here. So, in comparison, you've been wondering what to do- re-join your team or stay with the Bladebreakers."

Fern let a shifty smile caress her. "Nice analysis."

Kai half-smiled. "I try."

Suddenly, she bowed her head. It surprised her that none of their conversation was forced, and here they were, in the middle of the night still joking on after all that had happened. Hoping was silly, but maybe it wasn't. She began to wonder whether staying with Kai was the right thing to do, but as though trying to change her mind, another part of her couldn't shake off the Dark Stars.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she could see Kai first. Flashing through her, and even by simply _thinking_ about him, a feeling she couldn't ignore flamed inside her like a kick in the stomach. Then, between the darkness, each member of her team appeared, smiling and laughing. Fern just had to grin at that picture. Another sort of feeling rattled through her, remembering the fun times they had had, and she wanted more.

Kai watched as her gaze caught his again, the twinkle in her eyes drowning with endless humour, but at the same time they looked so sad. So early, he never thought he'd endure these type of feelings. At first he believed it was all good fun, in fact, she even amused him to an extent. But after a while, that amusement turned into something greater. She went beyond acting as an entertainer for him; he felt the _need _to talk to her, whether she was being serious or not.

He had denied it, and denied and denied it, until his denial became so strong it wore out. Images of her lying on her back, the fear of her dying, still haunted him. It was that moment he knew she had to live- and even though he wasn't sure why, he just knew she had to. Seeing her now was like Christmas, a dream. He couldn't imagine what it would have been like if she never made it.

That's when he realized. It was definitely something more.

The absent sound of the river trickled through their ears, and deep in the background animals could be heard. There was only a slight wind, but it wasn't much felt, their eyes glued together like staples. They were both feeling it now.

Fern leant her head to the side thoughtfully and began to slowly walk up to him. Kai held his breath when she stopped before him, her beautiful, dazzling eyes resting against his. If someone were watching, there was nothing else they could describe the clash between them other than soulful.

She looked at him gently. An urge fell across her, and she bit her bottom lip. If this was the only chance she'd get, then so be it. Gazing into his red eyes, it seemed to make her stronger and they inspired her greater.

"I-I..." She trembled a little, hesitating. With one close of the eyes, that was all she needed it seemed. She reopened them, meeting his gaze again. Every time she met them, it was like the first time all over again. "I think I love you, Kai."

That was it. She'd said it. If those were the last words she could ever say to Kai, then she'd be happy never to see him again. A great, powerful weight lifted from her shoulders, and on the outside, she felt a whole lot better. Inside, the pains didn't budge, and when Kai didn't say anything, she feared the worst.

'She loves me...?' Kai must have been staring at her for some time now since she'd said it, though hadn't realized for _how_ long until she began to appear impatient. He felt strange, and the emotion he suppressed was just indescribable. Joy fluttered through out him. Was it normal? Was this good? Questions flew at him, but his time had just run out.

Fern's hand struck his shoulder. Quite quickly, he pushed back his denial viciously, her face itself answering the question for him. 'Come on, Kai. Tell her. Tell her.' He moaned a little, unable to stop it once a fire began to light in his stomach. It was mad, it really was. But nothing held him back.

"I... care for you," He replied. Fern blinked. He had earned himself a very sceptical look, but when he smiled at her knowingly, a bright, silly smirk blessed her. It was funny. Just when the two of them got a moment to themselves, to reveal what they really felt... Kai was just as typical as ever, giving hardly anything away. It wasn't the reply she was expecting but it would do for now.

"Haha..." She actually laughed. As long as it was from Kai, she could accept it. "Guess I didn't do a very good job of bringing you out of your shell..." Kai leant forward and smiled, continuing until he felt his forehead against hers. Fern exhaled, becoming even closer to the phoenix. She could feel his breath against her lips, only inches away from each other it was so teasing.

Suddenly, it all felt so perfect, like there was no choice and she was going to be with him forever. But, Kai brought her to realize the problem. "Time with you has been like a wild ride. I'll never forget you whatever you choose." The Dark Stars bounced back into her head.

She sniffed. Her eyes began to bubble, tears threatening to fall. Why did everything seem so complicated? There was always something getting in the way, but that aside, if her choice didn't include Kai or the Bladebreakers, this moment needed to be treasured. "Kai... I want to take advantage of now. If this is the last time I get to be with you like this, then let's make the most of it, okay?"

To her surprise, Kai brought a hand up and gently caught her falling tear. She giggled. "I can't believe you admitted you cared for me..."

Kai simply gazed at her, their faces still close. Suddenly, two great, muscley arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her that little bit closer that when their bodies touched, she literally felt her legs turn to jelly, her heart pounding in her chest. He smirked back down at her. "Don't push it..."

His warm, luscious breath grew closer when he slid against her and closed the gap gracefully. Sparks flamed from her lips when they touched. The world around them erased from reality and the only thing they both focused on was each other. Fern deepened the kiss, and as she did, she drew her arms around his neck, enjoying the tighter hold he had on her.

Heaven and Earth combined so the only focus was them- the moon's light trickled onto them, their faces appearing brighter in the sheets of glittering light. The moment was never the more perfect. Fern hugged him, and unable to control her eyes any more, she let tears fall down her cheeks.

Kai caught one against her lip and licked it, Fern giggling. Laughing and crying, it was a funny feeling when mixed together. She didn't want any of it to end, and so declared entrance into him by running a line on his bottom lip. Finally, she was kissing _those_ lips again. After that rather passionate night they shared together, she didn't think she'd ever get the chance to do this again.

And here it was, happening underneath the stars, Trinity watching. She was pretty sure somewhere, Aquila and Tien-Long were, too.

To her disappointment, he pulled away, gazing at her with a smile on his face. The girl blinked, questioning his actions and now very direct-looking face as he dipped his hand into his pocket. Something that was attached to his belt was pulled out, shimmering a brilliant red.

Her mouth pulled into a wide, clownish grin. "You kept it!" She reached down and cupped Kai's hand underneath, staring at the sparkling mini phoenix in his hands. That present she had gotten him for his birthday was nothing but a gesture, and here he was holding onto it.

The slate-haired teen looked at her sceptically. "Of course I did. Now if you do leave, at least I have something to remember you by."

Fern gasped madly and surprised, glanced up at him, smiling manically. "You're such a sweetie, Kai Hiwatari." She giggled when a small blotch of pink caressed his cheeks. From no where, a sigh left her lips, thinking harder about what he had said. Something to remember her by. It was like she had already made up her mind. Fern looked back up at him, slight humour in her eyes. "Aren't you going to beg me to stay?"

Kai didn't say anything for a second. "I respect you too much for that."

Fern's green orbs widened. 'Wow. This guy is one in a million. I won't find too many of him around...' She bit her bottom lip. No. She wouldn't. And thinking now about life without him, it didn't seem like a life worth living.

"You only have until tomorrow to decide anyway. We're leaving after the carnival," Kai proclaimed, his smile fading.

'Only tomorrow..?' Fern hung her head. Now that she thought about it, she didn't have much time to think about such a tough decision, and it wasn't fair. Bells and alarms rung out in her head. Even after a night alone with Kai, the choices were too hard. Her team were like her family... so basically it was either Kai, or her family. 'And it's not fair!'

The girl grimaced against her thoughts, causing Kai to raise an eyebrow in concern. The sudden thought that crossed her mind scared her greatly, but it seemed like the only way. Her love for Kai was strong, nothing like she'd ever felt before; out of this world, it was. But, maybe it was _too_ strong. Maybe staying with the Dark Stars would help her get over him... not that she wanted to, by any means, but it seemed like her only option if she wanted to live life the old ways, with her beloved team.

She shook her head viciously, wanting to slap herself. She couldn't think about that now when she still had time left with him. Looking back up at him, her expression was brighter. Kai still looked curious, but she wiped that look off his face when she licked her lips playfully. "All right tiger, let's make the most of this."

Fern grabbed Kai's arm and pulled him closer, leaning in for another.

* * *

Music was the first thing that rang through Fern's head when she opened her eyes. The sun shone brightly through the window, resting against her on her futon. She sighed and looked up, only to spot a familiar face staring down at her.

The said person giggled. "You over slept sleepy head." It took Fern a few seconds to realize that she wasn't dreaming, and last night was all in the past. Images of Kai piled upon her, and suddenly she felt saddened, knowing that might have been the last time to see him properly.

"What's that mu-" Fern blinked. Raine looked different. She wore pale make-up and a pretty but very old-fashioned looking kimono. The sleeves dragged off her, but the colours were magnificent, and immediately she recognized it as Raine's special carnival clothing, the one she used to always wear. "Oh! The carnival!"

"Hmm. Yup. Don't worry about it. I stayed behind until you woke up. The others are there now," Raine smiled, raising her finger to her lip as though pondering. "Where were you last night?"

Fern blushed. "With Kai."

Raine looked playfully surprised. "Oh. Blunt as ever I see-" Before she could say anything else, Fern gasped.

"Oh no! It's the carnival!" It was only just hitting home. "That means I only have until after it to decide what to do..." Raine bit her bottom lip. So she still hadn't made up her mind, then. Looking into Fern's confused eyes, she could see this was really effecting her. "What do I do...?"

"Listen, Fern. Don't feel pressured. I honestly don't mind who you choose. Just don't feel bad for the person or people you leave, alright?" Raine pulled her a soft smile. "Why don't you stay here and think about it, then when you know come to the carnival, kay? We don't want a party pooper there."

Fern couldn't help but giggle. "Thanks, Raine." Her old team mate simply nodded and left the room, leaving the red head to think for herself. What did she want? Why did it have to be so hard? 'Werex? I need your help.' She sough her bitbeast's help, and immediately she felt the werewolf enter her mind.

'It's definitely not my place, Miss. The only thing I can suggest to you is ask a human who understands you more than anyone. I can't make the choice for you...' Werex told her, and she sighed. 'I know who I'm rooting for, mind.' Fern blinked. 'Why don't you give Miss. Orla a call?'

Fern's eyes snapped open fully. "Of course!" She exclaimed out loud. "Orla! I need a good chat with her anyway."

She raced to Raine's phone and dialled the numbers she recognized as her own- and for some reason, as the phone began to ring, her heart sped. She hadn't spoken to Orla, her guardian, in a while, but hopefully she'd understand once she told her exactly the situation.

"Hello?" A voice on the other end of the line asked. Fern grinned upon hearing the familiar voice.

"Orla! It's me, Fern!" Fern beamed, hearing a squeal from the woman.

"Fern!? Oh! Hi! How are you? It's good to finally hear from you at last. I thought the tournament had gone to your head or something and I could picture you holding onto a seat while the BBA peeps tried to drag you away. You were always like that... obsessed with stadiums..."

Fern groaned and rolled her eyes, but laughed rather loudly. She loved Orla, and conversation was never hard to make with her. In fact, sometimes, she never shut up even in the worst of times. "Let me get a word in! I'm great, thanks. Yourself? Sorry I haven't called you, it's been hectic around here, but I'll tell you all about that when I see you. The thing is Orla.. I've got a dilemma, and I don't know what to do..."

"Dilemma!? Are you okay? Has something happened? Where are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. I don't know how to say this but... the Bladebreakers. I'm on their team now," Fern bit her lip as she said it, expecting a loud roar to come from the other end of the phone.

"WHATTTT!?" Yeah, she was right. Loud roar. Orla's voice sounded awfully shocked, but she could tell she was grinning against the phone. "You met the Bladebreakers? Honest?"

Fern laughed. "That's right. As I said before, there's not a lot of time to explain how that happened, but I've got a problem and I need your help."

Orla calmed down a bit. "Okay sweetie, you know you can ask me anything. What's wrong?" Her voice lowered. "Wow... the Bladebreakers.. lucky so and so."

"Thanks! Well, you see... I'm in Asahidake Onsen with my old team and the Bladebreakers," She heard Orla cough, probably on purpose at the mention of her old team. "...And I don't know what to do. I just feel sick every time I think about disappearing and leaving my old team again. You know how much I loved being with them, and to let the chance slide would be like letting go of my dignity. But also, I've been offered the chance to head to the World Championships with my new team. I've grown very fond of them and well..." She paused.

"There's someone I like a lot on the Bladebreakers. I think he likes me, too," Fern gulped, hearing Orla gasp.

"Oh my gosh! Fern's in love! How cute!" She giggled, causing the red head to blush. "Wow. So... it's either the Dark Stars or this certain someone, right?" Fern grunted in response, a little embarrassed to talk. "Darling, as a growing lady, these type of catastrophes pop up all the time. In future, you'll on go much harder heartbreak. Are you sure you want to commit so early? You're 15..."

"Nearly 16." Fern shook her head to herself. "Orla... if only you could feel what I feel. If you felt what I'm going through right now you'd understand. The thought of leaving him breaks my heart, yet thinking about leaving my team just..." She trailed off, sighing. What a mess she was in.

"...You must really like him," Orla said, surprised. Fern was growing up so fast, it seemed.

"I do. A hell of a lot," Fern replied. "So much it... hurts."

"Then, there's only one thing you can do," Orla began. "Follow your heart."

"Follow my heart...?" Fern repeated, her mind driving into thinking mode.

"That's right. I can't make the choice for you. Whichever you choose, make sure you come visit me soon, alright?"

Fern smiled. "Yeah. Sure."

"I'll leave you then. You do know, the best way to think anything out is to do it yourself? Nobody can do it for you. As if it was that easy." Fern didn't reply. Orla sighed. "So, I'll see you soon, okay? Lovely to speak to you."

"You too! Bye!" Once Orla said her farewells Fern put the phone down slowly, thinking. Her green eyes slid shut. 'I need a walk...'

* * *

"Hey look, there's Raine!" Tyson slobbered with a hot dog in his hand, pointing at the girl running towards them. As usual, the dragon was thoroughly enjoying the carnival, despite the old-fashioned Japanese music- but the food was good enough for him, and it was free too, which was an added bonus.

"Is that girl _still_ sleeping?" Max joked.

Raine sighed and stopped in front of them. She shook her head, looking a bit fed up. "I wish Zack had never gave her that proposal. It's not that I don't want her to stay, but it's really getting to her. He could have at least waited until after the carnival..."

Ray looked pale suddenly. "Man, it's only just hitting home here. I can't believe if she stays, we'll probably never see her again..." Kai felt uneasy at the thought and shifted his stance awkwardly, the pains in his stomach playing with him emotionally.

It was only just hitting him hard now, as well. Talking about it seemed to make the pains inside worse, pains he didn't want to have but he was dumped with them and there was nothing he could do. Why did he have to go and get such a big thing for a girl he'd only known five minutes? It was so inappropriate, but at last he'd learned to live with it and... the thought of her leaving made him curse his feelings. It probably wouldn't hurt as much if he didn't like her in such a way...

Tyson and everyone bowed their heads, their expressions glum. "I was only just getting to know Fern. It would be such a shame.." Mariah trailed off.

Max didn't like the dull atmosphere. He suddenly grinned, attempting to cheer everyone up. "Come on guys, let's enjoy the carnival. Fern wouldn't want us to mourn like widows, would she? She's not like that."

Kenny looked up and smiled. "You're right..."

"Haha, alright!" Tyson grinned, stuffing the rest of the hot dog into his rather large mouth. "Dance, Maxie?" Max smirked and replied with a thumbs up. It was then that Tyson grabbed a hold of Max's hand and to his surprise, Ray's, dragging them both off to where crowds of people were dancing traditionally to the music. "Who said we need to follow suit..."

The White Tigers, Hilary and Kai watched amazed, as Tyson started to do some sort of weird robot dance completely off beat to everyone else. People surrounding stopped and stared, pointing and all the little kids burst out laughing. Max and Ray stood staring, but somehow Tyson dragged them off into his world and soon Max was getting into the swing of it as well.

Kai hit his forehead. 'These... are my team mates...'

"Haha oh yeah swing it baby!" Tyson was grinning, swaying his arms in the air and attempting to get Ray to join in who looked so embarrassed he was about to die.

Mariah giggled. "Go on Ray! Dance! Dance!"

Lee blinked a couple of times then shook his head, turning to Raine. "Right, let's just pretend we don't know them. So Raine, where's Zack and Taro?"

Raine looked confused. "I'm not sure actually... they'll be around here somewhere. My best bet is that they'll be getting their faces painted. They're such kids..."

"Welcome to the world of my team," Kai commented casually, causing Hilary to laugh.

"Hey guys, wanna get some ramen?" Gary suggested. His eye had been on that stall all day.

Kevin sighed but smirked. "Yeah, let's." The White Tigers began to turn to wander off and Raine was following, though Kai and Hilary didn't move. Kevin turned around. "You coming?"

Hilary shook her head. "I'll keep Kai company." With that, they wandered off. It was silent for a while. Kai stood with his eyes only narrowly open, his arms folded. She noticed his muscles tensing then relaxing repeatedly, and it wasn't hard to miss the desperation circling his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," He answered quickly, seeming to be watching the people dance, and Tyson making a prat of himself.

"Do you wanna dance or something? You've been staring in that direction for ages." Kai didn't say anything in return, instead it seemed to silence him even more. To her surprise, his arms unfolded and without saying a thing, he walked away. Hilary blinked, watching after him. She decided against saying anything else. He was such a loner, and to live up to that he wanted to be alone, to think.

_I'm so tired of being here  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave_

Kai walked to a place that didn't mean anything to him. He just kept walking, around in circles, always coming up at some part of the carnival, the very place he just wanted to get away from. "Ugh," He collapsed against a tree, gripping his left upper arm with his right hand, taking the pain he felt inside out on that one spot. He squeezed it tighter and tighter as the pain stabbed at him, and the harder it came, the harder he gripped, his shoulders slung so low they almost touched the ground.

_I wish that you would just leave  
'Cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone_

There was only so much heartbreak even he could take. He absently removed his hand from his arm, and a great throbbing pain came with it, a red blotch where it had been. Then, his hand fell onto his heart, gripping the material of his top. It was just impossible to keep it in any longer. He was always on the brink of letting go, and this was it. His crimson eyes snapped shut, a strangled moan leaving his lips.

_These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase_

'So... this is what it feels like...' Kai managed to think straight, but anger burned throughout him. 'If she liked me so much why would she even think about staying here? Yet... I suppose I can understand... can I?' The dreadful feeling that she wasn't going to turn up when they left welcomed itself inside him, decreasing his hope to a new low.

* * *

"Where's Kai? Mr. Dickenson said he wants us back on the plane..." Kenny bit his bottom lip, looking around him.

Tyson grunted. "Bah. He could have at least waited until the carnival was over..." He brought his hand up to his forehead as though he was saluting and looked around. Kai emerged from a nearby bush. "Hey! There he is! Man.. does he look rough."

"Listen, guys..." Zack drew attention onto him, the setting sun blazing beautifully through his black eyes. "I don't think it looks good for Kai. I'm not saying I'm glad, but maybe he needs your support right now. It doesn't look like Fern's going to show up, does it?"

Max looked like he was struggling for things to say, and somehow came out with, "She will! She will come to us- to Kai. Look at him!" His voice lowered as the cold-looking phoenix approached them, his expression hard and fierce. "Kai.. are you okay?"

Everyone felt so awkward as the captain walked straight past them, then stopped mid-way; it was obvious he was hiding his struggling.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He spun around, casting a hard glare on everyone- a different sort of anger lingered in his eyes. One that shocked them to no end. His hurting was inevitable. "Come on, let's go. The pilot will be waiting for us." Nobody could help but feel sympathy for Kai, and it was such a dying shame for him, in fact, all of them. Fern meant a lot to them, but they were all coming to terms in their own way why she had chosen to stay.

Ray gulped and stepped forward, his golden eyes shimmering into Kai's heavy crimson orbs. "Kai, dude... it seems she's chosen to stay here. I'm sorry."

"She's doing what she thinks is right. It's about time she did," Tyson added, sending his captain a meaningful smile. He backed down a little when Kai's gaze hit him hard, the clash between them horrendously dull and lacking the usual spark that caused their heated arguments. This really was affecting Kai, but he could only hope he'd get over it in time.

Kai's eyes trembled, his lips moving to one side for just a second. "Enough babbling. Why would I care? Let's just..." He paused, taking one last look at the carnival in hope. Nothing. "Let's just go, okay?" Kai turned on tail, and the gasps of his team mates followed, watching after him. They couldn't comprehend why on earth he wasn't going after the thing he clearly needed.

"Wait!" That voice. Kai stopped abruptly, spinning around.

There, emerging from the quiet crowd of the carnival, was an awed looking girl, running so fast towards him he couldn't stop to think- "I can't, I just can't!" It was Fern, looking hysterical and dashing to him and in a blink of an eye, shock washed through him when her arms flung around his neck, her grip intensely strong.

Kai's crimson eyes widened, so many different types of feelings running through him- shock, relief, bewilderment. He felt so weak, like his legs were turning to jelly and suddenly he had the urge to slip to the floor. Instead, he stared wide-eyed over the girl's shoulder at his smirking friends. They made gestures with their arms, telling him to hug her back.

And wherever he got it from, he just had no idea. Strength overthrew him to hug her back in front of everyone he had been afraid of all along, and slowly, wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to his delighted body. She was here. That was all that mattered now.

Kai's hands gripped her back, holding her like it was his only chance. Fern grew closer to him, letting her head slide onto his shoulder. He could feel her tears shivering against him, and he leant back a little, gaining access to her eyes. They stared at each other, rivers of passion escaping from them. The phoenix raised a hand and gently with his thumb, caught her falling tears, all the while the werewolf smiled at him.

"I couldn't do it- I thought I'd made up my mind. But it turns out I was wrong," Fern began to speak, and Kai ignored the quiet 'awwws' coming from his team mates. "The thing is, Kai... I can't live without you. I couldn't _bear_ to leave you..."

Kai stared at her, taken aback. Something inside him brightened, which shone clearly on his face. He suddenly felt so happy- to put it lightly. All the saddened emotions he felt earlier seemed to fade away- and there was nothing that was going to stop him from declaring how he really felt.

"Good," He smirked, and she blinked. "Because I've only just come to terms with this, but never the less... I do love you."

The others must have gaped so much he didn't even need to look at them to realize their shock. 'Wow. I've just said that, and I don't care. What was I afraid of for so long..? Now it seems so pathetic.'

The words were sinking into Fern like the Titanic's collision with the sea. She closed her green eyes, swallowing them hard. "Say that again." She just needed to make sure.

Kai groaned, letting one hand part from her and scratch the back of his head, embarrassed. She always made it so uneasy for him.

"Yeah, say it again, Kai!" Tyson chanted, waving his arm. The phoenix threw him a death glare.

He looked into her eyes again. "I said... I... love you." The red head gulped. So it wasn't a dream after all. She accepted it, and more tears ran down her face, throwing her head against his chest.

"That's all I ever wanted to hear..." She trailed off, enjoying his warm body.

"You know I'll miss you, Fern," Fern's head shot up, and looked around to see Zack smiling softly at her.

She smiled. "I know. But I need Kai." Fern scanned her other friends, seeing their smiling, cheeky, but overall delighted faces. "Thank you all..." She turned back to Kai, running her hand down his face. She stared at him for a while, pondering whether she had made the right choice. When he smiled at her and leaned a little closer, their lips almost touching, she knew she had. To her shock but delight, he closed he gap, giving her a warm, sentimental few second kiss.

Cheers burst from everyone's mouths which made Fern back off a little, blushing to no end. "Go get 'em Kai hahahaha!" Once she heard Tyson's teasing voice she just had to pull away, her face redder than a tomato.

"A-Aren't you scared your team will make fun of you? What about your reputation?" She asked him with a slight smug smirk.

Kai shrugged. "Dance Like No One's Watching right?"

Fern widened her green eyes. It truly was amazing. Something she had taught him to do was being repelled back to her- and she loved him even more for it.

Kai looked cunningly at his team. "And besides, if they ever do make any remarks it'll add to their one hundred push ups at the crack of dawn every morning." Groans followed and Fern giggled, pulling Kai into another hug.

"Heh. Kai's still got them where he wants them," Hilary smiled. "You know Fern... you're really lucky." Fern glanced at the brunette and smiled, nodding in response. Yeah, she was. "So are you, Kai! And don't you forget it!" The bossy girl suddenly grinned. "Now, there's still some time left to have fun. Carnival, anyone?"

Tyson blew up into a powder of hyperness. "Hell yeah! Forget Mr. D, he'll understand that nothing can ever get in the way of true love!" Kai and Fern looked at him sceptically. "Uhm, yeah. I love a happy ending." He rubbed the back of his head. "Let's go ho ho!"

"YEAH!" Everyone grinned and ran back down the grassy field, the carnival only steps away. Immediately Tyson, Max, Kenny, Lee, Kevin, Gary, Hilary, Mariah, Zack, Raine and Taro ran for the dancing ceremony.

Max threw his fist into the air. "Let's rock and roll!"

"To slow music!" Taro added sarcastically, grinning. People stopped to watch as the over-happy teens began dancing together, all one big happy bunch. The girls seemed to group together, waving their hands in the air like they just didn't care.

Tyson leant over Max and whispered something in his ear, his gaze directed at a very nervous looking Ray. The blonde looked up suddenly and smirked, and the two boys ran up to Ray and attacked him, dragging him along with them. "Guys!" Ray blushed furiously, and when they stopped him beside Mariah, the girl stared at him playfully. She held out her hand for him to take. After much pondering, Ray finally took it, blushing like mad.

"Nice going Ray-y baby woooooooo!" Tyson hooted, shaking his butt against Max and the two boys danced around manically.

Kai and Fern stood nearby, her arm linked to his. She giggled, watching the show. In all honesty she'd pay just to see Tyson and Max monkeying around like that.

"Announcement guys! Thank you all for coming to this year's carnival," A man stood with a microphone. "The next song that'll be played is the last, so I wanna see _everyone_ up here strutting their stuff!" Various woo's called from the crowd.

Fern gazed up at Kai, catching him off guard with her miraculous smile. "Should we have the last dance?"

Kai looked at her, a little reluctant. However, just looking at her caused him to grin. "Ironic it's the last dance tonight, because I promise you this will be the last!"

Fern chuckled, leaning close to his ear. "Oh, I don't think so. I get the feeling we'll have many more to come." Kai smirked, and just like she had to him, caught her in a read-to-go position, holding her close. She giggled all the way when he pulled her onto the dance floor with everyone else, reminding her of a time she had done the exact same thing.

To the gentle rhythm of the music, Kai pulled her close, her body rocking gently against the music. He was so serene, the way he moved, the way he held her and kept his timing so perfect. While everyone else danced their heads off like it was a disco, she was happy to just sway with him.

All so soft and passionate, when his grip on her tightened, she looked up at him, smiling. "Have you been practising?"

Kai scoffed. "As if." Fern sniggered and brought their bodies apart slightly, holding his arm so it arched to hers, and she twirled underneath, letting herself fall against him again. Kai narrowed his eyes, seeing where this was going. The girl then hurdled herself around Kai, bringing him along with her, pulling them both out from their single spot dance.

"Let's see how fast you can go," She taunted, earning herself a competitive grin. One of her hands parted from him and she locked her hand into his, starting to dance a little more upbeat, giggling at Kai. He tried his best to avoid standing on her feet, in fact he was pretty impressed by how sneaky she could be.

"Yeep!" Fern squeaked when Kai successfully stopped her dancing by tugging her close to him, gazing quite Kai-ishly into her eyes. The red head giggled. "Sorry, am I embarrassing you?" She smiled, using her hand to trail along his jaw. It was finally happening, she was finally going to be with him. It was all so hard to come to terms with but... when she leaned in to kiss him, he pulling her closer kissing her back without any hesitation, she knew it was real.

"I've got something to tell you that might embarrass you..." He whispered against her lips, and she pulled away from him, looking at him curiously. "About a so called love letter."

Fern immediately smiled. "So it was y-" He cut her off.

"No. It was Kenny."

Fern's eyes widened. "KENNY!?" She repeated, gaping.

"Shhh!" He urged, looking around. "Best not mention it to him, he's already embarrassed about it. Just thought I'd clear that up. I'm not that soppy so don't expect anything like that." Fern blinked at him. Wow. Kenny? That certainly was a new one. Shaking off her surprise, she leant in again to kiss him.

"...And I was like POW!" They pulled apart, looking across at Tyson who was showing off to Raine. "Take that Boris! Then we all thought Fern was gonna die... but she was okay! Because with my awesome superpowers,-" Fern and Kai looked at each other, smirking but sceptical. He had his yellow shirt draped around his neck, acting as a cape like a superhero.

"Hey, guys, we really should be going now," Max walked up to them.

"Yeah, in a sec, Maxie!" Fern replied, then waved her hand at Tyson. "Hey Tyson! You make a great superman!"

Tyson's eyes widened and glanced over, grinning embarrassingly. "Oh.. you weren't supposed to hear that..." Everyone laughed and as the last song began to fade, the teens all gathered around like a herd of cows, laughter filling the air.

Fern turned to Kai. "But you're MY superman, Kai."

Kai licked his bottom lip a bit awkwardly, but decided to play along. "Oh yeah? Wanna see me fly?"

Fern giggled. "You'll give me a ride?"

Everyone laughed apart from Tyson, gazing at the happy couple making daft jokes. To even think about those two being apart now was incredibly unnatural- together, a strange aura surrounded them, like they were destined to be together, like soul mates. Dranzer and Werex flashed in their possessions blessingly.

The confused dragon stared dumb-struck at them. "Hey, what do you mean? I don't get it.." Everyone laughed harder. Tyson turned to Ray. "What do they mean? I don't get it! Ride where?!"

Fern sniggered and continued to hold onto Kai. "Never mind, Tyson..." She turned to Kai and he was smirking, mischief glittering in his eyes. It looked like he was thinking the same thing. She let go of him and her hand slipped into his, the orange sunset glaring into their eyes now.

As they began to walk away, Tyson gaped. "Wait! You have to tell me the joke! I don't get it! What did you mean?!" He began to follow them. Unsuspecting, the bare field stood before Kai and Fern was tempting to run down, letting themselves break free.

They both laughed, beginning to run across the grassy ground, hand in hand, the sun staring at them. "Hey! Wait for us!" Tyson, Max, Ray and Kenny followed, chasing after them. With a few exchanged glances, the rest shrugged and didn't break the chain, dancing and running and exploring down the huge field.

Kai and Fern were still laughing, running all in good fun.

They _soared_ towards the horizon.

--

_75 years later..._

An old, grey man stood under a roof of blazing dots, the brightest night since that _night_. The masses of gas twinkled. One in particular, a bright green star with sparkles of red caught the man's graceful crimson eye. He smiled.

Her star was still shining.

**-The End-**

* * *

**There we go XD. Happy endings all around, ey? You didn't think she was really going to stay did ya!? Now what sort of ending would that be. Well, I hope you all liked it, and thank you once again to every single person who's been reading and reviewing, you all rock. And just to let you know, there will be NO sequel.**

**Kai: Saves me the embarrassment... -clears throat- Okay, so if you liked then please review!**


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